Authorities confirmed on Wednesday that heavy downpours resulted in floods across the central Philippines, leading to one fatality and the evacuation of tens of thousands from their homes.
Rescuers used inflatable boats and ropes to access individuals stranded in their residences in Northern Samar, one of the provinces severely affected by a week of continuous rain, resulting in the inundation of villages and towns.
Over 24 hours leading up to Tuesday morning, the provincial capital Catarman experienced rainfall exceeding a month’s average, transforming streets into rivers. Muddy water inundated shopping malls, houses, and commercial buildings.
‘The monthly rainfall in Catarman is around 450 millimetres but yesterday alone was 619 (mm),’ state weather forecaster Benison Estareja told AFP.
Over 43,000 individuals, as reported by the National Disaster Agency, have been forced to evacuate their homes, with the expectation of floodwaters subsiding.
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Local disaster chief Pedro Balanquit informed AFP that in Pambujan municipality, Northern Samar, a woman lost her life when a tree struck her during a landslide.
‘The rivers are still overflowing… because the waters from the mountains flow down there,’ Balanquit said.
‘The floods reached the top of two-storey houses.’
With an annual occurrence of about 20 major storms, the Philippines is positioned as one of the most vulnerable nations to the impacts of climate change.
The heightened capacity of a warmer atmosphere to hold more water elevates the risk and intensity of flooding due to extreme rainfall, amplifying the impact of climate change.