Philippines' death toll from storm Nalgae climbs to 80

Philippines' death toll from storm Nalgae climbs to 80
October 31, 2022, 9:00 am

A vendor carries food products as he wades through a flooded street following heavy rains brought by tropical storm Nalgae over the weekend - Eloisa Lopez/Reuters

The Philippines has recorded 80 deaths from flooding and rain-induced landslides after tropical storm Nalgae barrelled across the country over the weekend, with 31 others reported missing, the country's disaster agency said on Monday (Oct 32).

Half of the death toll was recorded in the southern autonomous region of Bangsamoro, where 10 were recorded missing, the agency said in a new bulletin.

The agency said 40 of the deaths were from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), 18 from the Western Visayas region, 12 from the Calabarzon Region near Metro Manila, four from the Zamboanga Peninsula, three in the Soccsksargen region, two in Eastern Visayas Region and one in the Bicol region.

Most of the missing people were reported from BARMM.

Nalgae, which made landfall five times, was expected to leave the Philippines later on Monday and head toward southern China.

The agency said Nalgae affected over 1.2 million people. About 150 roads and 60 bridges are impassable as of Sunday, most of which are in the Cagayan Valley region in the northern Philippines.

During the weekend, over 150 cities and municipalities experienced power interruptions, while seven areas reported water interruptions.

Death toll in Philippines from tropical storm Megi rises to 56

Damage to infrastructure due to heavy rains and strong winds was valued at nearly 758 million pesos (about $13 million), while losses in agriculture were estimated at more than 435 million pesos.

People in flood-ravaged towns started cleaning up on Sunday, scooping mud, and hosing off dirt, falling trees and branches fractured by winds.

Nalgae is the 16th tropical cyclone to lash the Philippines this year. It slammed into Catanduanes, an island province in the Bicol region, before dawn Saturday.

Heavy rains kill at least 25 people in Philippines, mostly due to landslides

The Philippines is one of the most disaster-prone countries globally, mainly due to its location in the Pacific Ring of Fire and Pacific typhoon belt. On average, the archipelagic country experiences 20 typhoons yearly, some of which are intense and destructive.

In April, the tropical storm Megi dumped rains in central and southern parts of the Philippines, inundating many areas and causing landslides, resulting in over 220 deaths.

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