At least 28 people have died and three are still missing following torrential rains, flooding and mudslides in various regions of the southern and eastern Philippines since early this month, authorities said Monday.
More than 155,000 people remain in evacuation centers since January 2 and nearly 1.4 million people have been affected, according to the latest update from the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
While the most recent storm, responsible for heavy rains in the south and east of the country in the last week, moves away from the most affected areas, a new front will bring heavy rains in the northeast and west of the Philippines in the next few hours, said the state meteorology agency (PAGASA).
As a result, the airport authorities have already announced the cancellation of several domestic flights.
In addition, the damage to agriculture is estimated at more than 274 million Philippine pesos (4.6 million euros), at a time of significant rises in the prices of basic foods due to shortages in production, among other reasons.
The region with the most fatalities is Zamboanga, in southern Mindanao, where eight people died, followed by Eastern Visayas (seven), Northern Mindanao (seven), Bicol (five) and Davau (one), according to the NDRRMC.
The Philippines, which experiences between 15 and 20 cyclones a year, is among the nations most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
Experts from international organizations pointed to the poor condition of the buildings in the favelas as the main reason for the high number of deaths from natural disasters in the country.
Source: TSF
