Death toll from tropical storm Trami in Philippines climbs to 116, 39 missing

The death toll from catastrophic flooding and landslides triggered by tropical storm Trami that slammed into the Philippines last week has risen to 116, with at least 39 people remaining unaccounted for, the Philippines’ National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said Monday.

Local authorities said Trami dumped two months of rain, impacting over 6.7 million people across 17 of the country’s regions The search continues for 39 missing people who were either buried in landslides or washed away by the floods. Trami, the 11th typhoon to hit the Philippines this year, barreled across the Philippines, leaving a trail of destruction with disastrous flooding and landslides on Luzon Island, particularly in the Bicol and Calabarzon regions, and areas in the central and southern Philippines.

Floodwaters crumbled highways and bridges, paralyzing transport, and flooded homes with mud. Three days after Trami exited the Philippines on Friday, disaster victims are still desperately waiting for food and clean water. Many areas still lack potable water or electricity. Some victims forced to leave their flooded houses at the height of the flooding started returning to their homes as the flood receded on Saturday.

However, the NDRRMC said about 1 million displaced people were still in evacuation centers or staying with relatives. Trami’s estimated damage to infrastructure was 1.54 billion pesos (roughly 26.35 million U.S. dollars), while damage to agriculture was 2.5 billion pesos (43 million dollars). The Philippines is bracing for more rains due to the impact of another tropical cyclone, Kong-rey, which intensified into a severe tropical storm Monday morning over the Philippine Sea, 755 km east of Luzon Island.

Kong-rey is the 12th tropical cyclone to hit the Philippines this year. Moving westward at 20 km per hour, Kong-rey packs 95 km per hour winds and gusts of up to 115 km per hour. “This tropical cyclone may also undergo rapid intensification,” the bureau warned. An average of 20 typhoons lash the Philippines yearly.

MANILA, Oct. 28 (Xinhua)