40,000 may be evacuated in Philippine floods

[Watchman]

40,000 may be evacuated in Philippine floods
(AFP) – 14 hours ago

MANILA — Up to 40,000 people may be forcibly evacuated after torrential rains caused heavy flooding in the southern Philippines, an official said Tuesday.

Ten villages in the town of Sultan Kudarat on southern Mindanao island were under waist-deep waters after a river overflowed its banks due to rains that began on Friday, local social welfare department head Pombaen Kadir said.

"We are preparing to evacuate them," Kadir told AFP.

"They still do not want to leave their homes which are now under waist-deep water, but we may force them to leave once the situation deteriorates."

She said the main highway that cuts through the affected areas had been rendered impassable to light vehicles.

Army troops in the area have also dispatched trucks to help in the planned evacuation efforts, she said.

Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved

 

[Watchman]

Manila Death Toll Climbs to 240
Pat Roque / AP Photo

As the worst floods to hit the Philippines in over 40 years continue to take their toll, officials in Manila estimate some 240 dead, $30 million in damages, and sweeping concerns about typhoid, disease, sanitation, and hidden costs—like the one-third of the Filipino population who work “off the books” and risk falling into financial peril the longer the nation remains in flux. At the peak of Typhoon Ketsana, 80 percent of capital city Manila was underwater, with waves of water crashing over the roofs of cars and filling the ground floors of buildings. The Wall Street Journal reports that rescue delays in Manila have prompted criticism of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, whose anointed successor in next year’s election—Gilbert Teodoro—is current secretary of defense, and has also fallen under criticism for the disaster response. Some 8,000 people were rescued and 69,000 evacuated to emergency centers in Manila; the Philippines is home to 90 million, with one-third of the population living on less than $2 a day.
Read it at The Wall Street Journal