Death toll climbs in Philippines in wake of tropical storm
By
Renee Duff, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Apr 12, 2022 11:36 AM EST
|
Updated Apr 14, 2022 7:06 AM EST
Thousands of residents evacuated their homes in the Philippines on April 11 and 12, as the storm's heavy rain triggered flash flooding and landslides.
The first tropical storm to affect the Philippines in 2022 unleashed a deadly deluge as more than four dozen people were killed in landslides and flooding this week.
Rescuers waded through chest-deep water in central and southern portions of the country as Tropical Storm Megi, known as Agaton in the Philippines, crawled across the region and unleashed relentless tropical downpours from Sunday to Tuesday, local time. Entire hillsides gave way in the deluge as some areas picked up more than half a foot of rain.
In Baybay City, located in the central Leyte province, over 100 people have been killed in landslides across six villages, with nearly 200 people injured in the region, The Associated Press (AP) reported. Search teams in the region are digging people out of the mud and that is when the death toll skyrocketed to nearly 50 to over 100 over the course of a few days.
Over 80% of the houses across the village of Pilar were washed out to sea.
Dramatic footage emerged at midweek of two boats carrying relief goods crashing into a bridge on the swollen Panay River in Sigma, with several people on board unaccounted for.
Officials fear the death toll could climb further as emergency crews scour the floodwaters and unstable mounds of mud and debris, using boats in many cases to gain access to the hardest-hit areas. Around 30,000 families have been displaced by the flooding which has affected nearly 200 different areas, according to The AP.
Improved weather on Wednesday, local time, allowed rescue and recovery operations to ramp up in full force, according to Baybay City's mayor Jose Carlos Cari.
“We’re looking for so many more missing people,” Cari said via The AP.
Dozens of pictures on Twitter showed the Philippine Coast Guard working tirelessly to save people and animals from muddy and, in some cases, swift-moving water. In one video, crews used a rope attached to two strong objects to help people cross the floodwaters to the safety of a rescue vehicle.
In Cebu City, the mayor declared a state of calamity Monday as schools and businesses were closed, The AP reported.
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AccuWeather Lead International Forecaster Jason Nicholls said that nearly 10 inches (254 mm) of rain fell in Masbate in the central Philippines from the tropical storm, while almost 6.50 inches (165 mm) accumulated in Mactan. Even higher rainfall totals are likely to have been reached outside of areas that have weather observation sites, especially in the mountainous terrain where data is limited.
Megi made landfall on Calicoan Island in the province of Eastern Samar on Sunday, local time, as a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 47 mph (75 km/h). The storm meandered over the region before and after landfall, compounding flooding problems due to days of tropical downpours.
Megi is not the only tropical system that has roamed the western Pacific Ocean in recent days. Typhoon Malakas, the first named storm of the 2022 West Pacific typhoon season, continues to churn well to the northwest of Guam. Malakas is forecast to remain over the open water and is expected to track to the south of Japan.
AccuWeather's Enhanced RealVue™ Satellite from Wednesday night, local time, shows Typhoon Malakas to the northwest of Guam. Meanwhile, the weather has turned quieter in the Philippines following Megi's onslaught of rain. (AccuWeather)
Experts say that it's not unusual to have tropical activity this early in the year in the West Pacific.
The earliest start to the West Pacific typhoon season was back in 2019 when Pabuk was named on Jan. 1, according to Nicholls. He added that the latest start to the season was in 1998 when it took until July 8 for the first named storm to form.
The months between May and October are typically the most active in terms of tropical activity in these waters.
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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News / Hurricane
Death toll climbs in Philippines in wake of tropical storm
By Renee Duff, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Apr 12, 2022 11:36 AM EST | Updated Apr 14, 2022 7:06 AM EST
Thousands of residents evacuated their homes in the Philippines on April 11 and 12, as the storm's heavy rain triggered flash flooding and landslides.
The first tropical storm to affect the Philippines in 2022 unleashed a deadly deluge as more than four dozen people were killed in landslides and flooding this week.
Rescuers waded through chest-deep water in central and southern portions of the country as Tropical Storm Megi, known as Agaton in the Philippines, crawled across the region and unleashed relentless tropical downpours from Sunday to Tuesday, local time. Entire hillsides gave way in the deluge as some areas picked up more than half a foot of rain.
In Baybay City, located in the central Leyte province, over 100 people have been killed in landslides across six villages, with nearly 200 people injured in the region, The Associated Press (AP) reported. Search teams in the region are digging people out of the mud and that is when the death toll skyrocketed to nearly 50 to over 100 over the course of a few days.
Over 80% of the houses across the village of Pilar were washed out to sea.
Dramatic footage emerged at midweek of two boats carrying relief goods crashing into a bridge on the swollen Panay River in Sigma, with several people on board unaccounted for.
Officials fear the death toll could climb further as emergency crews scour the floodwaters and unstable mounds of mud and debris, using boats in many cases to gain access to the hardest-hit areas. Around 30,000 families have been displaced by the flooding which has affected nearly 200 different areas, according to The AP.
Improved weather on Wednesday, local time, allowed rescue and recovery operations to ramp up in full force, according to Baybay City's mayor Jose Carlos Cari.
“We’re looking for so many more missing people,” Cari said via The AP.
Dozens of pictures on Twitter showed the Philippine Coast Guard working tirelessly to save people and animals from muddy and, in some cases, swift-moving water. In one video, crews used a rope attached to two strong objects to help people cross the floodwaters to the safety of a rescue vehicle.
In Cebu City, the mayor declared a state of calamity Monday as schools and businesses were closed, The AP reported.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
AccuWeather Lead International Forecaster Jason Nicholls said that nearly 10 inches (254 mm) of rain fell in Masbate in the central Philippines from the tropical storm, while almost 6.50 inches (165 mm) accumulated in Mactan. Even higher rainfall totals are likely to have been reached outside of areas that have weather observation sites, especially in the mountainous terrain where data is limited.
Megi made landfall on Calicoan Island in the province of Eastern Samar on Sunday, local time, as a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 47 mph (75 km/h). The storm meandered over the region before and after landfall, compounding flooding problems due to days of tropical downpours.
Megi is not the only tropical system that has roamed the western Pacific Ocean in recent days. Typhoon Malakas, the first named storm of the 2022 West Pacific typhoon season, continues to churn well to the northwest of Guam. Malakas is forecast to remain over the open water and is expected to track to the south of Japan.
AccuWeather's Enhanced RealVue™ Satellite from Wednesday night, local time, shows Typhoon Malakas to the northwest of Guam. Meanwhile, the weather has turned quieter in the Philippines following Megi's onslaught of rain. (AccuWeather)
Experts say that it's not unusual to have tropical activity this early in the year in the West Pacific.
The earliest start to the West Pacific typhoon season was back in 2019 when Pabuk was named on Jan. 1, according to Nicholls. He added that the latest start to the season was in 1998 when it took until July 8 for the first named storm to form.
The months between May and October are typically the most active in terms of tropical activity in these waters.
In other news:
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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