For the second day in a row, tropical storm Yagi hit the Philippines 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 that hit its coast on Sunday. Two people died, including a 9-month-old baby who drowned as the waters rose, according to rescue workers.
“The water level was above our heads in some places”Joshua Tuazon, an employee of the city’s public security bureau, told Agence France-Presse (AFP). “Hundreds” residents were saved, he added.
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300 people in evacuation camps
As of Monday, more than 300 people remained in evacuation camps. In the city of 210,000, local officials said high tides had prevented the water from draining quickly.
Yagi made landfall on the northern coast of the main island of Luzon early Monday, with winds holding steady at 5 kph, according to the national weather agency. Later in the day, the storm is expected to cause landslides in the coastal province of Isabela, with four towns and about 33,000 people in its path.
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.
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