Massive floods kill 6 people, displace 59 100 and affect 1.1 million, Philippines

Heavy monsoon rains enhanced by Tropical Storm "Yagi," known in the Philippines and Karding, caused deadly floods in the Philippine capital Manila and nearby areas over the past two days. 

At least 6 people lost their lives, 4 in the capital region and 2 in Zambales and Benguet, 59 100 were forced to evacuate and about 1.1 million were affected since Saturday, August 11, 2018, the disaster monitoring agency said.

PAGASA issued a Red rainfall warning for Metro Manila and Rizal; Orange rainfall warning for Cavite, Bataan, Sambals, Nueve Exija, Pampanga and Bulacan and Yellow for Tarlac, Laguna, Batangas and northern Quezon.

Schools were shut down in Metro Manila and other parts of the main island of Luzon and operators of five dams were forced to open floodgates. It was a necessary move, but one that further worsened the flooding.

The rain also caused the water level of the Marikina River to reach the 3^rd alarm on Saturday, leading to the evacuation of thousands of residents.

By the end of the day, parts of the country experienced around 53% of the expected August rainfall within just 24 hours, PAGASA said. That's 270 mm (10.6 inches) in 24 hours of 504.2 mm (21.2 inches) of average August rainfall.

More monsoon rains were expected on August 13, PAGASA warned. Although they aren't expected to be as strong as on August 11, it's uncertain how the rest of the month will go.

Monsoon rains enhanced by tropical storms in the past weeks have displaced nearly 400 000 people, the disaster monitoring agency said.

Featured image: Floods in Metro Manila, Philippines on August 11, 2018. Credit: Jho TV