LAUREL: Homeowners in the northern Philippines used spades and rakes to clear out debris left by Tropical Storm Trami on Friday while rescuers trawled through thick mud looking for the missing as the death toll rose to 76.

Tens of thousands of people were displaced by floods fuelled by a torrential downpour that dumped two months’ worth of rain, or 391.3 millimetres, over just two days in Batangas.

“Many are still trapped on the roofs of their homes and asking for help,” said Andre Dizon, police director for the hard-hit Bicol region.

Over 391mm rainfall recorded in two days

‘Everything is gone’

In Laurel, reporters saw roads blocked by felled trees, vehicles half-submerged in mud and homes severely damaged by flash flooding.

“We saw washing machines, cars, home equipment, roofs being swept away,” Mimie Dionela, 56, told AFP.

Death toll grows

As Trami departed the Philippines in the early hours, travelling west over the South China Sea, the storm’s death toll was swelling as fresh reports of victims emerged.

In Batangas province, south of Manila, the number of confirmed dead had risen to 43, provincial police chief Jacinto Malinao said.

Laurel and the nearby towns of Talisay and Agoncillo accounted for most of the dead in Batangas, with 16 others missing in Talisay, he added.

“The greatest challenge here really is the thick mud. In our location, the mud is about 10 feet (three metres) high with debris and boulders, Malinao said.

Police in the Bicol region reported 29 deaths, while four other bodies were found elsewhere.

At a press briefing, President Ferdinand Marcos noted the cities of Naga and Legazpi in Bicol had reported “many casualties, but we haven’t been able to get in yet”.

Offices and schools across the main island of Luzon remained shuttered, but storm surge warnings were cancelled along the west coast as Trami flew farther out to sea.

An official tally reported nearly 320,000 people evacuated in the face of flooding.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2024