More than 650 people were killed in the southern Philippines over the weekend when Typhoon “Sendong”(Washi) triggered flash floods, devastated eight provinces on Mindanao island. The flood stripped mountainsides of logs, overturned cars and forced residents to seek safety on their rooftops.
Cagayan de Oro and nearby Iligan suffered most damage, areas that are rarely hit by major storms
“It’s overwhelming. We didn’t expect these many dead,” said Benito Ramos, head of the government’s disaster response agency.
More than 800 are missing including those who had been swept out to sea. Body bags and coffins were in short supply. The majority of the dead were women and children.
The Philippine military mobilized thousands of soldiers, police officers and reservists for rescue efforts.
Washi was moving towards the South China Sea yesterday, which allowed rescue agencies to step up their efforts. But huge amounts of mud and debris still makes the task daunting.
Benito Ramos, chairman of the national disaster council thinks the event was attributed to climate change and deforestation.
Cagayan de Oro and Iligan, the places unlikely to be hit by storms, became the tank for water flowing from deforested mountains. Floodwater from Bukidnon province filled into Cagayan de Oro; water from Lanao del Sur province poured into Iligan.
Agencies are scrambling for donations to try and help the victims, said Anna Lindenfors, the Philippines director of the Save The Children charity.