MANILA, Philippines—At least 51 people were killed and more than a quarter of a million displaced after tropical storm Ondoy (international code name: Ketsana) dumped the heaviest rainfall on capital Manila in more than four decades, officials said Sunday.
Manila and surrounding areas were lashed with heavy rains for nine hours Saturday, leading to flash floods that inundated about 80 percent of the capital of more than 12 million inhabitants.
The deluge left some areas under up to 20 feet of water, stranding entire families on rooftops and forcing the government to declare a "state of calamity."
Highways were turned into raging rivers that swept away shanties and cars. Video footage from military helicopters showed desperate residents marooned on rooftops pleading for food and help.
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, heading the rescue efforts, said 51 people had so far been killed with at least 21 still missing.
More than 4,000 people have so far been rescued, either plucked by helicopters from their homes or by rubber boats but many are still stranded.
Teodoro said the storm had displaced nearly 280,000 people in Manila and five outlying provinces, with more than 41,000 people in 92 evacuation centers.
"We are continuing with our rescue operations for those who are still in need, coupled with a massive relief operation," said Teodoro.
While the rains have temporarily ceased, Teodoro said more flooding may hit northern provinces as reservoirs and dams could overflow.
"I am appealing on those in the path of the storm to follow our local officials," he said, adding that troops will forcibly evacuate those who refuse to leave their homes being threatened by floods.
He said the floodwaters and the large numbers of stranded vehicles were giving rescue units "a hard time" in reaching those affected.
"If you are on the roof, don't try to leave. Just remain there on the roof and we will do everything to rescue you," he said in a radio broadcast.
Power and communication lines went down in many areas but those who managed to get through to public radio stations told of their plight.
"Please come and get us. We have been marooned here since the afternoon," appealed Cristine Reyes, a resident in Marikina district late Saturday, who was marooned with her two young nephews and her mother on the second floor of the family home. "The water continues to go up, and soon we will be under water."
Local Red Cross chairwoman Gwendolyn Pang said rescuers struggled to reach many areas Saturday, with many highways rendered impassable.
"This has never happened before. Almost 80 percent of metropolitan Manila is under water," Pang told AFP.
The government's chief weather forecaster Prisco Nilo blamed "climate change" for the extreme weather but said he expected the weather to ease when the storm dies down Monday.
"The amount of rainfall in nine hours yesterday was more than the average monthly rainfall," Nilo told reporters.
He said that total rainfall for the period reached 410.6 millimeters (16 inches), breaking the previous single-day record of 334 millimeters in July 1967.
In Marikina Sunday, many residents remained on rooftops, as rescuers waded in muddy floodwaters, Red Cross official Dave Barnuevo said.
"The water is taking a long time to go down. The water is muddy and thick, and we have had to push our rubber boats in neck-deep flood(waters) in some areas," Barnuevo told AFP.
"We have rescued entire families marooned in their homes. They have not eaten and begged for food and water," he said.
By Agence France-Presse
Source: www.inquirer.net
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