By Neil Jerome Morales
MANILA (Reuters) – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday ordered government agencies to rush to help people affected by Typhoon Vamko, after torrential rains flooded the capital Manila.
The floods inundated thousands of homes in the low-lying suburbs, causing residents to collapse on rooftops waiting for rescue.
The 21st hurricane in the Philippines this year hit the country surrounded by the world’s most powerful hurricane Goni this year, killing 25 people in early November and destroying thousands of homes.
“Make sure the government will not leave anyone behind,” Duarte said in a national address, promising shelter, relief items, financial assistance and post-disaster counseling.
The latest hurricane, which has lost four, is still witnessing a COVID-19 infection and a troubled economy in the Philippines.
Residents in some suburbs east of Manila took refuge in their flooded homes.
“There were 15 family members and neighbors sheltering,” Carla May Suico, who lives in Pacific City, told DZBB Radio. “We still have a few steps left on the third floor and we haven’t found any rescuers yet.”
Nearly 40,000 homes in Maricina City were either completely or partially submerged, its mayor, Marcelo Teodoro, told the DZMM radio station, calling the situation “overwhelming” and the worst since most storms hit much of Manila in 2009.
“The local government can’t handle this,” Teodoro said, urging motorized boats and airlifts.
Nearly 30 million homes in and around Manila were without electricity as people went through flash floods, carrying valuables and pets.
Coast guards had to swim in floodwaters like lightning poles, while rescue workers used rubber boats and makeshift floats to take children and the elderly to safety.
Large waves and strong winds in Manila Bay turned a tanker, damaging the bridge.
Flights and mass transit to Manila were suspended while port operations were suspended by the Coast Guard. Government operations were suspended and financial markets were closed.
Half of the homes of 108 million people in the Philippines have been bent since leaving Luzon Island, with winds of 130 kilometers (811 miles) per hour and gusts of 160 kph (99 mph).
The Philippines, an archipelago of more than 600 islands, experiences about 20 tropical storms a year, often on its way to hitting Vietnam, China and Taiwan.
Vamko is expected to head to Vietnam. Floods and mudslides in recent months have killed at least 160 people in central Vietnam, left dozens missing and damaged 390,000 homes.
(Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales; Additional reporting by Aloisa Lopez and Enrico Della Cruz; Editing by Lincoln Fist and Ed Davis)
