A powerful tropical storm, known as Trami in the Philippines, has brought widespread devastation to the country’s northeastern region, leaving at least 24 people dead and thousands displaced, CNN reports.
The storm, which made landfall early Thursday morning in the province of Isabela, unleashed torrential rain and strong winds, triggering flash floods and landslides. The government was forced to shut down schools and offices across the main island of Luzon for a second day to protect millions of people from the storm’s impact.
The worst affected area was the Bicol region, southeast of Manila, where at least 20 people died, primarily due to drowning. Among the victims were seven residents of Naga city, which was hit by flash floods as Trami approached on Tuesday. The storm dumped more than two months’ worth of rainfall in just 24 hours, coinciding with high tide, further exacerbating the flooding.
In Naga, flash floods swept away and submerged cars, while mudflows from the active Mayon Volcano in nearby Albay province engulfed several vehicles.
While thousands of villagers trapped by floodwaters have been rescued by government forces, many more remain stranded, including some on rooftops. Rescue efforts are hampered by the ongoing stormy weather.
The government’s disaster-mitigation agency reported that over 2 million people have been affected by the storm, with 75,400 forced to evacuate their homes.
Trami weakened as it moved westward, expected to enter the South China Sea later on Thursday. However, the damage caused by the storm will take weeks to assess and clean up.
The Philippines, located in the typhoon belt, is often battered by powerful storms and typhoons each year. In 2013, Typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded, killed or left missing over 7,300 people and devastated entire villages.
