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In the Philippines, rescue teams braved relentless floodwaters on Friday to aid residents still stranded on rooftops as Tropical Storm Trami veered out to sea. The storm’s toll, with at least 40 confirmed fatalities, underscores the scale of its impact on vulnerable areas.
After fleeing their homes to escape the floods, tens of thousands are still displaced, facing uncertainty as they cope with the effects of a downpour that brought two months’ rainfall in only two days. The overwhelming deluge has left entire neighborhoods submerged and searching for relief.
“Many are still trapped on the roofs of their homes and asking for help,” Andre Dizon, police director for the hard-hit Bicol region, told AFP. “We are hoping that the floods will subside today, since the rain has stopped.”
During a press briefing on Friday, President Ferdinand Marcos expressed concern over the challenges rescuers faced in reaching affected areas, particularly in Bicol. Flooded roads and landslides have compounded efforts to deliver much-needed assistance.
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“There were landslides in areas that didn’t have landslides before … so I guess the soil is completely saturated, the water has nowhere to go,” he said.
The cities of Naga and Legazpi were reporting “many casualties but we haven’t been able to get in yet,” Marcos added.
As Trami departed the Philippines in the early hours, traveling west over the South China Sea, the storm’s death toll swelled as fresh reports of victims emerged.
In Batangas province south of the capital Manila, police staff sergeant Nelson Cabuso told AFP six unidentified bodies had been found in Sampaloc village.
“The area was hit by a flash flood yesterday. Our people are still in the area to check if there are other casualties,” he said.
Another five people were killed in a flash flood in the coastal village of Subic Ilaya, police corporal Alvin de Leon said, pushing the toll to at least 40, according to an AFP tally from police and disaster officials.
While Manila was seemingly spared the heavy flooding that accompanied Typhoon Gaemi in July, AFP reporters saw a subdivision south of the capital largely submerged on Friday.
