Philippine Floods Kill Two, Affect Thousands
Date: 09-Dec-05
Country: PHILIPPINES
Water levels were rising after three days of continuous monsoon rain that has burst dykes and forced people in low-lying areas to flee homes and farms in three provinces south of the capital Manila, the Office of Civil Defence (OCD) said.
Two people were buried alive in a landslide in Pagbilao town, Quezon province, disaster officials said. The OCD added about 60,000 people had been evacuated in Quezon, Camarines Norte and Mindoro Oriental provinces.
Officials said wide areas were affected by landslides and floods and that many homes, farms and businesses had been damaged. Calapan City on Mindoro Island was worst hit, they said.
Doy Leachon, an official in Calapan, told Reuters the dykes protecting the city had been breached by swollen rivers.
"Flood waters are still rising," Leachon said by telephone. "We are in need of food, medicine, blankets and other relief materials. We need rubber boats to evacuate more residents to safer areas."
He said flood waters in the city had risen chest-deep, with hundreds of commuters stranded in bus terminals, forcing the suspension of land travel to the central Philippines.
The army said bad weather had prevented military helicopters from taking off from bases in Manila and on Mindoro Island.
"We are still waiting for the weather to cooperate," said Major Jose Broso, spokesman for the Southern Luzon Command.
Environmental activists said the floods were caused by logging, slash-and-burn farming and quarrying on the mountains in Quezon and Mindoro Island.