Tropical Storm Yagi has been hitting the Philippines since Sunday, September 1. It has killed four people, according to the government.
Tropical Storm Yagi hit the Philippines for the second day in a row on Monday, September 2, causing flooding and landslides and killing at least four people, according to the government.
The eastern city of Naga was one of the worst hit by the storm, which hit its coast on Sunday. Two people died, including a nine-month-old baby who drowned as the waters rose, rescuers said.
“The water level was above our heads in some places,” Joshua Tuazon, an employee of the city’s public security bureau, told AFP. “Hundreds” of residents were rescued, he added.
300 people still in evacuation camps
As of Monday, more than 300 people remained in evacuation camps. In this city of 210,000, local officials said high tides had prevented the water from draining quickly.
Yagi hit the northern coast of the main island of Luzon early Monday, with winds holding at 75 kilometers per hour, according to the national weather agency. Later Monday, the storm is expected to cause landslides in the coastal province of Isabela, with four towns and about 33,000 people in its path.
Manila schools closed
Local officials have been asked to prepare communities to evacuate flood-prone areas, provincial rescue chief Constante Foronda told AFP.
As a precaution, schools and government offices in the capital Manila were closed for the day and ferry transport in affected areas was suspended, while 29 domestic flights were cancelled due to bad weather.
Each year, the Philippines and its surrounding waters experience about 20 storms and typhoons, damaging homes, infrastructure, and killing dozens of people.
