Strong Tropical Storm Kompas flooded parts of essentially the most populated island of Luzon on Monday, passing through your complete archipelago towards the South China Sea. Almost 1,600 people were evacuated.
The country’s disaster agency said six people, including three children, died in 4 separate landslides that buried houses in northern Benguet province, where two individuals are still missing.
School classes in Hong Kong canceled as Observatory prepares for Typhoon Signal No. 8
School classes in Hong Kong canceled as Observatory prepares for Typhoon Signal No. 8
Fallen rocks, uprooted trees and loosened soil blocked the major highway resulting in Baguio, a mountain resort in Benguet.
Local authorities reported that in some areas, muddy floodwaters reached the second floors of homes, and fruit and vegetable plantations on the outskirts of town were flooded.
Five people drowned in flash floods in nearby Cagayan province and western Palawan province. The agency added that five more were reported missing in floods in two cities in Palawan.
Mark Timbal, a spokesman for the disaster agency, said that while Palawan was circuitously in Compass’ path, it was also affected by the hurricane, which was intensifying the southwest monsoon.
The weather office said Compass had maximum winds of 100 km/h with gusts of as much as 125 km/h because it moved away from the northern Philippines.
The bureau said Kompasu was scheduled to depart the country on Tuesday for China’s Hainan province.
“The storm is predicted to regularly intensify over the subsequent 36 hours, but is increasingly unlikely to succeed in typhoon category before making landfall over Hainan Island,” he said.
Philippine presidential spokesman Harry Roque said in an announcement that rescuers had been dispatched to the affected areas.
“Support from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine Coast Guard, the Philippine National Police and the Bureau of Fire Protection were also mobilized and deployed,” he said.
Roque added that the Department of Social Welfare and Development has enough food parcels for 370,000 people.
A tropical storm turns a flight from London to Hong Kong right into a 36-hour ordeal on board
A tropical storm turns a flight from London to Hong Kong right into a 36-hour ordeal on board
On Tuesday, the storm headed toward Hong Kong, where authorities canceled all school activities and were expected to boost Typhoon Signal No. 8 within the late afternoon.
An average of 20 storms and typhoons hit the Philippines yearly, typically destroying crops, homes and infrastructure in already impoverished areas.
The strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines was Typhoon Haiyan, which in November 2013 killed over 6,300 people and displaced over 4 million.
Additional DPA reports
This article appeared within the print edition of the South China Morning Post as: Hundreds of individuals are fleeing after a deadly storm unleashed a deluge
