Floods caused by heavy rains have paralyzed the lives of people in the capital Manila, Philippines, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee their homes and at least two people missing.
From the night of July 21, heavy rains caused the Marikina River to overflow, more than 23,000 people living along the river were urgently evacuated overnight. They temporarily reside in schools, village halls and covered yards.
In Quezon and Caloocan cities in the Manila urban area, about 25,000 others have also been evacuated from low-lying areas, often near canals flowing into rivers. Mr. Wilmer Tan of the Marikina rescue office said that the river water level had risen to 18m.
In Caloocan, an elderly woman and her driver were swept away by floodwaters while trying to cross a bridge. John Paul Nietes, Deputy Supervisor of the Emergency Operations Center, said the car had been found with broken glass doors. However, the two people in the car have not yet been found and rescue work is still ongoing.
Although the water began to recede on the morning of July 22, thousands of people have not been able to return home. Since last weekend, monsoon rains caused by Tropical Storm Wipha have killed at least three people and left seven missing in the central and southern Philippines, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
On average, the Philippines experiences about 20 storms or tropical depressions each year. The poorest areas are often hit hardest. Climate change is said to be making storms more dangerous and unpredictable.
