As the death toll from the country’s devastating Christmas floods rose to 51 and 19 people were still missing, authorities announced Monday that thousands of people were still being housed in emergency shelters.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council states that the Northern Mindanao region suffered the most from the catastrophe, citing 25 fatalities. The majority of fatalities were caused by drowning and landslides, and fishermen whose boats capsized were listed among the missing.
Rising number of flood deaths in the Philippines
According to the national disaster service, as rescuers look for 19 people still missing more than a week after intense rain battered central and southern provinces over the Christmas weekend, the death toll could increase further.
As the 110 million-strong nation with a majority of Catholics got ready for a lengthy Christmas holiday, bad weather struck.
On the southern island of Mindanao’s province of Misamis Occidental, 19 persons drowned or perished in landslides brought on by heavy rains, which accounts for the majority of the casualties.
Philippines and the effects of climate change
With some estimates placing 60% of its geographical area and 74% of its population as subject to multiple dangers, including floods, cyclones, droughts, earthquakes, tsunamis, and landslides, the Philippines are highly susceptible to calamities brought on by natural disasters.
Scientists have warned that storms are growing stronger as the world gets warmer, and the Philippines is one of the most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change.
According to the state weather agency, a shear line, or the meeting point of warm and cold air, set off severe rains that led to flooding in several areas of the nation last week.
Residents in the southern Misamis Occidental region could be seen cleaning their homes’ floors of thick muck in a number of images. Coconut trees were uprooted and homes made of light materials were practically crushed at the seashore town of Cabol-anon.
The effects of the flood on people
In most areas, the flooding has abated, but more than 8,600 people were still staying in shelters.
According to the emergency management service, the floods destroyed almost 4,500 homes in addition to roads and bridges, and some towns continue to experience problems with their water and power supplies.
Strong waves and toppled trees allegedly seriously destroyed the family’s coastal property, according to Ivy Amor Amparo, a hospital staff from Ginoog city in the Misamis Oriental region. The two-parent family and mother were driven by rescuers to a neighbouring shelter where they spent the Christmas holiday.
She asserted that her father purchased the materials required to build a temporary shelter for the family, who are currently jammed seven people into the small living room of the damaged house, with the help of the local government’s cash support of 5,000 pesos ($90).
Amparo told The Associated Press over the phone that “part of their stuff is still with the neighbour and some are in our house.” “When they need to take a bath at the neighbourhood water pump, they have to get their clothes from the neighbour’s house.”
what actions the government is taking.
According to officials, the government supplied iron sheets and kits for restoring homes, gave food and other supplies, sent out huge machinery for clearing operations, and distributed other essentials. Teams from Manila, the nation’s capital, were sent to assist communities in need of clean water in setting up water filtration systems.
At least 22 cities and municipalities have declared a catastrophe. The measure will enable the disbursement of urgent funds and quicken restoration efforts.
Jordan expressed its ‘condolences’
Jordan sent its condolences to the government and people of the Philippines on behalf of the victims of the landslides and floods brought on by heavy rains in the southern Philippines, which resulted in numerous fatalities and injuries.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Jordan “empathises” with the Philippines, offering condolences to the relatives of the deceased and hoping for a quick recovery for the injured.
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