Television images showed several houses and cars being swept by swollen rivers and clusters of people on the roofs of their homes in the Philippines in the aftermath of Typhoon Ketsana that hit the main island of Luzon. As of early Sunday, the death toll from the typhoon stood at 52 with more than 20 others missing and feared dead.
The weather bureau said Typhoon Ketsana brought the heaviest rainfall in the country in 40 years. About 16 inches of rain fell in 24 hours on Saturday, twice the amount that drenched the United States during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Typhoon Ketsana, packing winds of up to 105 kph, hit the Philippines on Saturday and was now moving toward the South China Sea. Hundreds remained on rooftops, waving and shouting for food, water and warm clothes as floodwaters began to subside in and around Manila on Sunday.
The government has been criticized for its slow response to the typhoon related conditions. It seemed to have been caught unprepared by the heavy rain brought by the typhoon
"We're doing our best to get to all those people still trapped by the flashflood," Anthony Golez, spokesman for the National Disaster Coordinating Council, told reporters, adding soldiers in rubber boats would evacuate them to safety. "We're sorry for the delays. We're encountering difficulty in reaching flooded areas."
Rescue and relief efforts continued for the second day as thousands were still marooned in eastern Manila, which has been submerged in almost 120 inch deep flood waters.
Appeals are urgent for more donations of food, water and warm clothing in light of the disaster caused by the typhoon in the Philippines. The United States and U.N. agencies had responded with boats, food, water and relief goods.
Written by Cheryl Phillips
Exclusive to HULIQ.com
source: MSNBC, Reuters
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