The Philippines is reeling from the devastation caused by Typhoon Kalamegi, which has left at least 90 people dead and dozens missing in the central region. A spokesman for hard-hit Cebu province told AFP that 35 bodies had been recovered from a coastal town, raising the death toll in the province to 76. The National Civil Protection Office earlier reported at least 17 additional deaths in other provinces affected by the storm. Most of the deaths occurred in Cebu province, where flash floods hit residential areas, trapping people on rooftops and sweeping away vehicles, according to news agency AP, which was still recovering from a deadly earthquake in September.
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Most of the people have died due to being trapped in severe floods and swept away by strong currents. In a separate development, a Philippine Air Force helicopter carrying humanitarian aid to Kalmagee-hit provinces crashed in southern Agusan del Sur province on Tuesday, killing six people, the military said. However, details of the cause of the helicopter crash have not been made available. The deputy administrator of the Civil Defense Office and provincial officials said most of the deaths occurred in the central province of Cebu, where Kalamegi caused flash floods and overflowing rivers on Tuesday.
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According to officials, residential areas were submerged due to the flood, forcing panicked residents to climb onto their rooftops. The Philippine Red Cross received several requests for rescue, but had to wait until the water levels receded to reduce exposure to emergency personnel. Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro said every possible effort was made to protect against the storm, but unexpected events such as flash floods occurred during the storm.
A state of calamity has been declared in Cebu with a view to rapidly disbursing emergency funds to respond to the disaster. Cebu is a province with a population of more than 2.4 million. The city was still recovering from a magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck on September 30, killing at least 79 people and displacing thousands. Governor Baricuatro said that thousands of residents of northern Cebu displaced by the earthquake had been moved to shelters from makeshift tents before the storm made landfall and that flooding caused by Kalamegi in quake-ravaged northern towns had been mitigated.
News Source – PTI Information