The death toll from massive floods that devastated parts of the Philippines over the vacation weekend has risen to 51 and 19 others are missing, the country’s disaster response agency said on Monday, as affected residents struggle to get back on their feet.
Photos on social media show residents of Misamis Occidental province in northern Mindanao sweeping thick mud from the floors of their homes. In the coastal village of Cabol-anonan, coconut trees were uprooted and light-weight huts were almost razed to the bottom.
According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, the northern Mindanao region within the south was hardest hit by the disaster, which killed 25 people. Most of the deaths occurred from drownings and landslides, and among the many missing were fishermen whose boats capsized.
Flooding has subsided in most areas affected by the severe weather that disrupted Christmas celebrations within the eastern, central and southern Philippines. However, greater than 8,600 of the nearly 600,000 people affected remain in shelters.
The Disaster Management Agency said floods damaged greater than 4,500 homes, roads and bridges, with power and water disruptions still occurring in some areas. The government has sent food and other essential items to flood-affected residents, deployed heavy clean-up equipment and provided iron sheets and shelter repair kits, officials said. Teams from the capital Manila were dispatched to assist communities with limited clean water arrange water filtration systems.
The Disaster Management Council said no less than 22 cities and municipalities had declared a state of disaster. This move will release funds earmarked for emergency aid and speed up rehabilitation efforts.
The state weather bureau said the fault line – the purpose where warm and cold air meet – dumped heavy rains in parts of the country last week, causing flooding.
