Floods & landslides in the Philippines Kill 45 People, and Thousands are Evacuated

In the Philippines, the death toll from severe Tropical Storms has claimed 45 lives, the heavy rains that inundated most of the rural areas in Mindanao Island, which was followed by landslides and flooding, damaging nearly 500 houses.

The Tropical Storm founder the archipelago nation’s main island of Luzon, with maximum winds of 95 kilometers, an hour after making landfall, which was before dawn. Heavy rains triggered by the approaching storm began on Thursday in the southern Philippines, and some areas have recorded their highest-ever daily rainfall.

That was also followed by landslides and flooding, with fast-moving debris-laden waters sweeping away entire families in some areas, and also damaging hundreds of houses. In recent years, flash floods with mud and debris from largely deforested mountain sites, and when among the deadliest hazards caused by typhoons in the Philippines.

Rescue operations are ongoing for people who are missing. The Philippine Coast Guard is using rubber boats to reach inundated areas and rescue those trapped due to the flooding.

The Philippines is hit by an average of 20 major storms each year and that killed hundreds of people and keep vast regions in perpetual poverty. Scientists have warned that such storms which also kill livestock and destroy key infrastructure are becoming more powerful as the world gets warmer because of climate change.