Death toll from tropical storm Nalgae in Philippines rises to 98

People wade through flooded streets following heavy rains tropical storm Nalgae, in Imus, Cavite province, Philippines, October 30, 2022. (Photo: Reuters)

Monday, the national disaster office said that the death toll from a hurricane that ravaged the Philippines has risen to 98, with little prospect of finding survivors in the worst-affected districts.

On Friday, villages on the southern island of Mindanao were ravaged by a succession of flash floods and landslides triggered by Tropical Storm Nalgae. Approximately half of the fatalities were caused by these events.

Mindanao is rarely struck by the 20 or so typhoons that impact the Philippines annually, but the storms that occur tend to be more deadly than in Luzon and the country's center.

"We have moved from a search and rescue effort to a retrieval operation since the chances of survival after two days are practically nil," said Naguib Sinarimbo, the Bangsamoro civil defense chief in Mindanao.

The number of dead is certain to climb, as the latest information from the national disaster service indicates that 63 individuals are still missing.

Several were hurt.

As rescue workers searched through muck and debris for further dead, survivors began the sad chore of removing water from their flooded homes.

Residents brushed muddy water from their houses and businesses while their furniture and other possessions dried in the now-sunny streets of Noveleta municipality, south of the capital city of Manila.

Joselito Ilano, 55, whose house was swamped with waist-high water, stated, "This is the first time in my 55 years of living here that we've had this sort of flooding."

"I am accustomed to flooding in this area, but this is unprecedented; I was taken by surprise."

As it rushed across the nation, Nalgae flooded villages, ruined crops, and took out power in numerous locations.

It occurred during an extended weekend for All Saints' Day, which is on Tuesday when millions of Filipinos trek to their loved ones' graves.

As a result of global warming, scientists have warned that dangerous and catastrophic storms are getting more intense.

Even after Nalgae crossed the South China Sea, the state weather forecaster warned that another tropical depression was moving toward the Philippines.

The new weather system may bring additional severe rain and suffering to Nalgae-ravaged regions.

In recent years, landslides and flash floods emanating from heavily deforested mountain slopes have been among the deadliest storm-related threats in the Philippines.

In April, another tropical storm brought catastrophic landslides and flooding that devastated farming and fishing communities in the central province of Leyte.

Publish : 2022-10-31 09:20:00

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