- Title: PHILIPPINES: Families crowd temporary shelters in Philippines' floods.
- Date: 8th August 2012
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Filipino) MOTHER OF THREE, JOYCE ANNE DIRI, SAYING: "We were hoping to go home because it's difficult here. The sleeping conditions are not comfortable, and it's not easy to get food."
- Embargoed: 23rd August 2012 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Philippines
- City:
- Country: Philippines
- Topics: Disasters,Environment
- Reuters ID: LVA5O3WYX7MYSZIFF57QV1FMG7LF
- Aspect Ratio:
- Story Text: Tens of thousands spill into evacuation centres awaiting aid, as large parts of Manila remain submerged in floods.
Heavy floods swamped Manila and nearby provinces on Wednesday (August 8), with 242,000 people seeking shelter in evacuation centres and relying on aid.
Monsoon rains fueled by tropical storm Haikui eased on Tuesday (August 7), as Haikui made landfall in southeastern China, but heavy showers were still expected in the Philippines.
Flooding that peaked on Tuesday (August 7) has killed 11 people, including three children who died in a landslide.
The flooding swelled rivers and waterways, and evacuations were ordered in riverside communities such as Marikina, an eastern suburb of metropolitan Manila.
Built on a valley, Marikina is prone to heavy flooding, and waters neared rooftops in many areas.
More than 11,000 of the city's residents were forced to flee their inundated homes and stay in schools or basketball courts converted into evacuation centres.
The Malanday Elementary School in Marikina was serving around 2,000 people, and relief items were not sufficient, the evacuees said.
"We were hoping to go home because it's difficult here. The sleeping conditions are not comfortable, and it's not easy to get food," mother of three Joyce Anne Diri said.
About 60 percent of metropolitan Manila remained flooded, the disaster management agency's chief said, while four provinces declared a state of calamity due to the floods.
Emergency workers, including soldiers, are rushing food, water and warm clothes to nearly 850,000 people affected by massive floods.
Schools around Manila and nearby provinces remained closed on Tuesday, but government offices and businesses resumed operations.
At least 90 flooded areas on the main island of Luzon are still without electricity, potable water and communications services.
Nearly 600 houses were either destroyed or partly damaged by swollen rivers, and damage to crops was estimated initially at 152 million pesos (3.6 million US dollars).
The weather bureau has warned of flash floods and landslides, as more rains are expected especially in the northwest of the country.
The monsoon rains, which dumped about 300 mm (12 inches) or three times the daily average of 80-100 mm (3-4 inches) from late Monday (August 6) to Tuesday, were the heaviest in three years, the weather bureau said. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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