Philippines Hit by 4th Typhoon

The typhoon tracked the same route as Tropical Storm Ketsana , which dumped the heaviest rains in 40 years in and around Manila in late September. Typhoon Parma then set off huge landslides in Luzon’s mountain region.

According to the National Disaster Agency, nearly 95,000 people who fled during the two earlier typhoons were still housed in temporary shelters when Typhoon Mirinae struck.

The devoutly Roman Catholic nation was preparing to celebrate All Saints Day. Traditionally thousands of Filipinos travel to their ancestral homes to visit cemeteries and pay respect to their ancestors. With the limitation on travel, thousands of residents have been stranded.

Typhoon Mirinae knocked out power on Friday and washed away a bridge and toppled trees. Work was always underway to repair the four bridges that collapsed in urban areas south of Manila, while power was slowly being restored to most of the 22 towns that were blacked out at the height of the typhoon according to the Red Cross.

Mirinae, known locally as "Santi," was downgraded to a tropical storm as it moved into the South China Sea. It was expected to hit Vietnam in about 48 hours.

Cheryl Phillips
HULIQ.com

sources: NYT, CNN, LA Times
image: thehindu.com