A tropical storm has dumped one month’s worth of rains over large swathes of the northern Philippines, leaving more than 20 people dead and forcing 150,000 others to evacuate.
Trami made landfall Thursday on the northeast coast of Luzon, the country’s most populous island, and caused widespread flooding and landslides.
The Bicol peninsula was worst-hit, where floodwaters chased people and their pets to the second storey of their homes.
Typhoons are common in the Philippines at this time of the year, but Trami’s rains were unusually heavy, the state weather bureau told BBC News.
People trapped on their roofs posted photos of their ordeal on social media to appeal for rescue, prompting the coast guard to deploy rubber boats.
“It’s getting dangerous. We’re waiting for rescuers,” Karen Tabagan from the flooded municipality of Bato told AFP News agency.
The rains also triggered volcanic mudslides or lahar in villages surrounding Mount Mayon, an active volcano in Bicol. Photos showed the tyres of cars and the front doors of houses partially buried in dark grey mud.
The storm, known locally as Kristine, had dumped one month’s worth of rain over 24 hours in Bicol, Ana Claren, a forecaster at the state weather bureau in Manila, told BBC News.
The rainfall amount also exceeded what the weather bureau considers “normal” over 30 years of observation, she said.
Credit: bbc.com
