الرئيسية
Fresh floods
are bringing more misery to the southern Philippines, a week after
tropical storm Washi killed more than 1,200 and left hundreds of
thousands homeless.
A low pressure area, combining with a cold
front, brought flooding to some parts of Mindanao island over the past
two days and further strained search and relief operations for those
affected by Washi, officials said on Wednesday.
"There was
pre-emptive evacuation. There was fresh flooding in some towns in the
northeastern side of Mindanao," Benito Ramos, who heads the National
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council in Manila, told AFP.
"This
has complicated our relief operations, but we are pressing ahead and
the local government units were prepared this time," he said. "They had
learned their lesson."
He said one major river system that cuts
through several towns burst its banks, washing away homes made of light
materials, though there were no new casualties from the fresh floods.
Ramos
said relief operations were ongoing for hundreds of thousands affected
by Washi, which triggered floods that swept away whole villages built on
sandbars and river banks in dozens of Mindanao towns from December 16
to 18.
Government efforts were concentrated on the port cities of
Iligan and Cagayan de Oro, which suffered the brunt of the storm, and
where many are still believed missing, Ramos added.
Those affected by the new floods were in areas about 150 kilometres (93 miles) to the east of Iligan and Cagayan, he said.
Washi
displaced more than 431,000 people with more than 54,000 huddled in
overcrowded evacuation centres -- usually schoolhouses and gymnasiums,
mostly in Cagayan and Iligan.
The death toll from Washi stood at
1,249 as of Wednesday morning, but Ramos said search for dozens of
others missing were still ongoing and could continue into the near year.
are bringing more misery to the southern Philippines, a week after
tropical storm Washi killed more than 1,200 and left hundreds of
thousands homeless.
A low pressure area, combining with a cold
front, brought flooding to some parts of Mindanao island over the past
two days and further strained search and relief operations for those
affected by Washi, officials said on Wednesday.
"There was
pre-emptive evacuation. There was fresh flooding in some towns in the
northeastern side of Mindanao," Benito Ramos, who heads the National
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council in Manila, told AFP.
"This
has complicated our relief operations, but we are pressing ahead and
the local government units were prepared this time," he said. "They had
learned their lesson."
He said one major river system that cuts
through several towns burst its banks, washing away homes made of light
materials, though there were no new casualties from the fresh floods.
Ramos
said relief operations were ongoing for hundreds of thousands affected
by Washi, which triggered floods that swept away whole villages built on
sandbars and river banks in dozens of Mindanao towns from December 16
to 18.
Government efforts were concentrated on the port cities of
Iligan and Cagayan de Oro, which suffered the brunt of the storm, and
where many are still believed missing, Ramos added.
Those affected by the new floods were in areas about 150 kilometres (93 miles) to the east of Iligan and Cagayan, he said.
Washi
displaced more than 431,000 people with more than 54,000 huddled in
overcrowded evacuation centres -- usually schoolhouses and gymnasiums,
mostly in Cagayan and Iligan.
The death toll from Washi stood at
1,249 as of Wednesday morning, but Ramos said search for dozens of
others missing were still ongoing and could continue into the near year.