Typhoon Vamco batters Manila
MANILA: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte yesterday ordered government agencies to rush aid to people affected by Typhoon Vamco, after the storm killed at least two people and brought the worst flooding in the capital Manila in years.
Tens of thousands of homes in lowlying suburbs were submerged by the floods, prompting residents to scramble on to rooftops awaiting rescue.
Vamco, the 21st cyclone to hit the Philippines this year, battered a nation still reeling from Goni, the world’s most powerful typhoon this year that killed 25 people and destroyed thousands of homes early in November.
‘‘Rest assured, the Government will not leave anybody behind,’’ Duterte said in a national address, pledging shelter, relief goods, financial aid and postdisaster counselling.
The latest typhoon, which has also left four missing, comes as the Philippines is still grappling with a wave of Covid19 infections and a battered economy.
Roughly 40,000 homes had been either fully or partly submerged in Marikina City, its mayor, Marcelino Teodoro, told DZMM radio station, calling the situation ‘‘overwhelming’’ and the worst since a typhoon flooded large swathes of Manila in 2009.
Nearly three million households in and around Manila were without power as people waded through waisthigh floods, carrying valuables and pets.
Coastguards had to swim in floodwaters as high as electricity poles, while rescue workers used rubber boats and makeshift floats to carry children and the elderly to safety. — Reuters