Nearly 100 dead, dozens missing in storm-ravaged Philippines as flooding continues
PHILIPPINES — After two devastating storms in a month, people in parts of the Philippines began checking the status of their loved ones on Sunday, but many still hadn’t been rescued.
The country was under the same catastrophic, record-breaking rains that took down people in the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand. Flooding was reported in several locations in Mindanao, the main island of the Philippines, where the disaster has killed at least 111 people and was only now beginning to ease as of Sunday morning.
Floodwaters submerged a government complex outside the city of Talisay, in southern Pangasinan province, according to reports of local residents who escaped by boat or helicopter.
Hundreds of people were reported missing on Sunday in the city of Tuguegarao, where the rains had taken out many of the city’s streets.
“We had an order to evacuate but many of the family remained behind and the order was canceled so there was a lot of confusion,” a resident told The Associated Press.
In Manila, the government declared the capital city a disaster zone on Saturday and on Sunday declared an emergency.
“We cannot take any chances. We cannot allow the situation to worsen,” Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno said.
Philippine military helicopters were still ferrying rescuers to the hardest hit areas of Pangasinan and surrounding areas in Mindanao, where the government urged residents to stay out of floodwaters, avoid electricity and take necessary steps to avoid infection.
Heavy rains have caused the worst flooding in decades in the Philippines and killed at least 111 people, according to officials. Flooding was reported in several areas on the main island of Mindanao Monday morning.
The government declared a national disaster on Saturday, as officials battled rising waters in flood-affected areas. It had ordered the entire country
