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Kuwait Times
13 hours ago
- Climate
- Kuwait Times
Heavy flooding displaces thousands in Philippines as new storm threatens
People flee, schools and govt offices shut as Tropical Storm Wipha skirts country MANILA: Heavy flooding inundated the Philippines' capital on Tuesday, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee and schools and government offices to shut, while a fresh storm brewed off the coast. At least six people have died and another six remain missing after Tropical Storm Wipha skirted the country on Friday, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. Many neighborhoods in Manila woke to find calf-deep pools of floodwater Tuesday after an overnight downpour swelled the Marikina River. More than 23,000 people living along the riverbank were evacuated from their homes overnight and moved to schools, village halls and covered courtyards. About 47,000 more were evacuated from across the capital's Quezon, Pasig and Caloocan areas, as well as from the main government district. 'Usually, these people are from low-lying areas like beside creeks,' said Wilmer Tan of the Marikina rescue office, who said the river had reached 18 meters (59 feet) in height. An elderly woman and her driver were swept down one of the swollen creeks as they attempted to cross a bridge in Caloocan, said John Paul Nietes, an emergency worker. It was initially hoped that the pair had escaped after the car was recovered with a broken window. But Caloocan Mayor Dale Gonzalo Malapitan announced one of the bodies had been found. 'We've found (the driver),' he told Manila radio station DZMM. 'The body was recovered 4.5 kilometers from where the vehicle was swept away.... They were unable to bail out.' As floodwaters began receding in Manila by Tuesday afternoon, the national weather service said a low-pressure area off the country's east coast had developed into a tropical depression. While not expected to make landfall, the depression would bring continued heavy rain through the end of the week, the agency said. Thousands of people, meanwhile, remained unable to return to their homes. AFP journalists in Cainta, a small town on the outskirts of the capital, saw residents using styrofoam boxes and abandoned refrigerators as makeshift floatation devices to navigate the floodwaters. Angelo Dela Cruz, 18, employed a rubber boat — one purchased in anticipation of frequent flooding — to transport rice for his aunt's small eatery. 'Instead of using the van, we have to use the boat and push it while we wade through the flood to prevent the rice from getting wet,' he said. At least 20 storms or typhoons strike or come near the Philippines each year, with the country's poorest regions typically the hardest hit. Deadly and destructive storms are becoming more powerful as the world gets warmer because of climate change. 'This is hard, because if the rain will continue... the river will swell,' Manila street sweeper Avelina Lumangtad, 61, told AFP as she stood next to a flooded thoroughfare. 'The floods are dangerous.' – AFP
The Hindu
14 hours ago
- Climate
- The Hindu
Philippines flooding displaces thousands amid new storm threats
Heavy flooding inundated the Philippines' capital on Tuesday (July 22, 2025), forcing tens of thousands of people to flee and schools and government offices to shut, while a fresh storm brewed off the coast. At least six people have died and another six remain missing after Tropical Storm Wipha skirted the country on Friday, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. Many neighbourhoods in Manila woke to find calf-deep pools of floodwater Tuesday after an overnight downpour swelled the Marikina River. More than 23,000 people living along the riverbank were evacuated from their homes overnight and moved to schools, village halls and covered courtyards. About 47,000 more were evacuated from across the capital's Quezon, Pasig and Caloocan areas, as well as from the main government district. "Usually, these people are from low-lying areas like beside creeks," said Wilmer Tan of the Marikina rescue office, who said the river had reached 18 metres (59 feet) in height. An elderly woman and her driver were swept down one of the swollen creeks as they attempted to cross a bridge in Caloocan, said John Paul Nietes, an emergency worker. It was initially hoped that the pair had escaped after the car was recovered with a broken window. But Caloocan Mayor Dale Gonzalo Malapitan announced one of the bodies had been found. "We've found (the driver)," he told Manila radio station DZMM. "The body was recovered 4.5 kilometres from where the vehicle was swept away.... They were unable to bail out." No respite As floodwaters began receding in Manila by Tuesday afternoon, the national weather service said a low-pressure area off the country's east coast had developed into a tropical depression. While not expected to make landfall, the depression would bring continued heavy rain through the end of the week, the agency said. Thousands of people, meanwhile, remained unable to return to their homes. AFP journalists in Cainta, a small town on the outskirts of the capital, saw residents using styrofoam boxes and abandoned refrigerators as makeshift floatation devices to navigate the floodwaters. Angelo Dela Cruz, 18, employed a rubber boat -- one purchased in anticipation of frequent flooding -- to transport rice for his aunt's small eatery. "Instead of using the van, we have to use the boat and push it while we wade through the flood to prevent the rice from getting wet," he said. At least 20 storms or typhoons strike or come near the Philippines each year, with the country's poorest regions typically the hardest hit. Deadly and destructive storms are becoming more powerful as the world gets warmer because of climate change. "This is hard, because if the rain will continue... the river will swell," Manila street sweeper Avelina Lumangtad, 61, told AFP as she stood next to a flooded thoroughfare. "The floods are dangerous."
eNCA
15 hours ago
- Climate
- eNCA
Philippines flooding displaces thousands as new storm threatens
Heavy flooding inundated the Philippines' capital on Tuesday, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee and schools and government offices to shut, while a fresh storm brewed off the coast. At least six people have died and another six remain missing after Tropical Storm Wipha skirted the country on Friday, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. Many neighbourhoods in Manila woke to find calf-deep pools of floodwater Tuesday after an overnight downpour swelled the Marikina River. More than 23,000 people living along the riverbank were evacuated from their homes overnight and moved to schools, village halls and covered courtyards. About 47,000 more were evacuated from across the capital's Quezon, Pasig and Caloocan areas, as well as from the main government district. "Usually, these people are from low-lying areas like beside creeks," said Wilmer Tan of the Marikina rescue office, who said the river had reached 18 metres (59 feet) in height. An elderly woman and her driver were swept down one of the swollen creeks as they attempted to cross a bridge in Caloocan, said John Paul Nietes, an emergency worker. It was initially hoped that the pair had escaped after the car was recovered with a broken window. But Caloocan Mayor Dale Gonzalo Malapitan announced one of the bodies had been found. "We've found (the driver)," he told Manila radio station DZMM. "The body was recovered 4.5 kilometres from where the vehicle was swept away.... They were unable to bail out." - No respite - As floodwaters began receding in Manila by Tuesday afternoon, the national weather service said a low-pressure area off the country's east coast had developed into a tropical depression. While not expected to make landfall, the depression would bring continued heavy rain through the end of the week, the agency said. Thousands of people, meanwhile, remained unable to return to their homes. AFP journalists in Cainta, a small town on the outskirts of the capital, saw residents using styrofoam boxes and abandoned refrigerators as makeshift floatation devices to navigate the floodwaters. Angelo Dela Cruz, 18, employed a rubber boat -- one purchased in anticipation of frequent flooding -- to transport rice for his aunt's small eatery. AFP | Ted ALJIBE "Instead of using the van, we have to use the boat and push it while we wade through the flood to prevent the rice from getting wet," he said. At least 20 storms or typhoons strike or come near the Philippines each year, with the country's poorest regions typically the hardest hit. Deadly and destructive storms are becoming more powerful as the world gets warmer because of climate change. "This is hard, because if the rain will continue... the river will swell," Manila street sweeper Avelina Lumangtad, 61, told AFP as she stood next to a flooded thoroughfare. "The floods are dangerous."
Observer
19 hours ago
- Climate
- Observer
Philippines flooding displaces thousands
Manila - Floodwaters driven by torrential rains ground life in the Philippine capital to a halt on Tuesday with tens of thousands evacuated from their homes and at least two people believed missing. Schools and government offices in Manila and the surrounding provinces were closed after a night of rain that saw the region's Marikina River burst its banks. More than 23,000 people living along the river were evacuated overnight, sheltering in schools, village halls, and covered courtyards. About 44,000 more were evacuated in the metropolitan area's Quezon, Pasig, and Caloocan cities. "Usually these people are from low-lying areas like beside creeks (feeding into the river)," according to Wilmer Tan of the Marikina rescue office, who said the river had reached 18 metres (59 feet) in height. An elderly woman and her driver were swept down a swollen creek as they attempted to cross a bridge in Caloocan, said John Paul Nietes, an emergency operations centre assistant supervisor. "Their car was recovered last night. The rescue operation is continuing, but as of today, they haven't found either of them," he said. "The car window was broken, so the hope is that they were able to escape." Floodwaters were receding on Tuesday afternoon, though thousands of people remained unable to return to their homes. Ongoing monsoon rains have killed at least six people and left another six missing in the central and southern Philippines since Tropical Storm Wipha skirted the country on Friday, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. The Philippines' national weather service is predicting rain to continue through the end of the week. At least 20 storms or typhoons strike or come near the Philippines each year, with the country's poorest regions typically the hardest hit. Deadly and destructive storms are becoming more powerful as the world gets warmer because of climate change. "This is hard, because if the rain continues... the river will swell," Manila street sweeper Avelina Lumangtad, 61, told AFP as she stood next to a flooded thoroughfare. "The floods are dangerous."
Int'l Business Times
20 hours ago
- Climate
- Int'l Business Times
Philippines Flooding Displaces Thousands As New Storm Threatens
Heavy flooding inundated the Philippines' capital on Tuesday, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee and schools and government offices to shut, while a fresh storm brewed off the coast. At least six people have died and another six remain missing after Tropical Storm Wipha skirted the country on Friday, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. Many neighbourhoods in Manila woke to find calf-deep pools of floodwater Tuesday after an overnight downpour swelled the Marikina River. More than 23,000 people living along the riverbank were evacuated from their homes overnight and moved to schools, village halls and covered courtyards. About 47,000 more were evacuated from across the capital's Quezon, Pasig and Caloocan areas, as well as from the main government district. "Usually, these people are from low-lying areas like beside creeks," said Wilmer Tan of the Marikina rescue office, who said the river had reached 18 metres (59 feet) in height. An elderly woman and her driver were swept down one of the swollen creeks as they attempted to cross a bridge in Caloocan, said John Paul Nietes, an emergency worker. It was initially hoped that the pair had escaped after the car was recovered with a broken window. But Caloocan Mayor Dale Gonzalo Malapitan announced one of the bodies had been found. "We've found (the driver)," he told Manila radio station DZMM. "The body was recovered 4.5 kilometres from where the vehicle was swept away.... They were unable to bail out." As floodwaters began receding in Manila by Tuesday afternoon, the national weather service said a low-pressure area off the country's east coast had developed into a tropical depression. While not expected to make landfall, the depression would bring continued heavy rain through the end of the week, the agency said. Thousands of people, meanwhile, remained unable to return to their homes. AFP journalists in Cainta, a small town on the outskirts of the capital, saw residents using styrofoam boxes and abandoned refrigerators as makeshift floatations to navigate the floodwaters. Angelo Dela Cruz, 18, employed a rubber boat -- one purchased in anticipation of frequent flooding -- to transport rice for his aunt's small eatery. "Instead of using the van, we have to use the boat and push it while we wade through the flood to prevent the rice from getting wet," he said. At least 20 storms or typhoons strike or come near the Philippines each year, with the country's poorest regions typically the hardest hit. Deadly and destructive storms are becoming more powerful as the world gets warmer because of climate change. "This is hard, because if the rain will continue... the river will swell," Manila street sweeper Avelina Lumangtad, 61, told AFP as she stood next to a flooded thoroughfare. "The floods are dangerous." At least 20 storms or typhoons strike or come near the Philippines each year AFP
