Philippines: 39 dead after typhoon Vamco leaves high water

In Philippine, at least 39 people were killed on Friday after a typhoon caused extensive flooding that sent people fleeing to their roofs. Typhoon Vamco passed north of Manila between Bulacan and Pampanga provinces overnight Wednesday and early Thursday, toppling power poles and trees and damaging homes. More than 350,000 people had been evacuated to safety, mainly residents fleeing vulnerable coastal and low-lying areas before the typhoon hit. Philippine National Police said more than 100,000 people had been rescued, including 41,000 in the capital region.

Thick mud and debris coated many villages around the Philippine capital. Thousands of people have been rescued, though waters have mostly receded. The military was rescuing people in places where waters remained high. According to Gilbert Gapay “We’ll continue to look for the missing, help in damage assessment.” He reported 39 deaths and 32 other people missing.

Vamco hit the Philippines on the heels of Typhoon Goni, one of the strongest typhoons in the world this year, which left more than 30 people dead or missing and damaged or destroyed 270,000 houses. Tens of thousands of people remain displaced. The Philippines is hit by about 20 typhoons and tropical storms each year and also had active seismic faults and volcanoes, making it one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries.