Philippines declares state of calamity after at least 114 dead killed

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared a state of disaster after Typhoon Kalmaegi, one of this year’s strongest typhoons, caused severe flooding in the central Philippines and resulted in the death of at least 114 people.

The storm flooded entire towns on Cebu, the region’s most populous island, where 71 deaths were reported. According to authorities, 127 more people were missing and 82 people were injured.

According to AFP, Cebu provincial authorities reported 28 more deaths that were not included in the count announced by the national civil defense agency.

Kalmaegi left the Philippines on Thursday morning and is heading towards central Vietnam, where residents are still reeling from flash floods that have killed dozens.

President Marcos Jr. told reporters on Thursday that he made the decision due to the damage caused by Typhoon Kalmaegi and in anticipation of another storm Uwan expected to hit the country over the weekend.

“Almost 10 districts, about 10 to 12 districts will be affected. So, if so many areas are involved to this extent, then it is a national disaster,” he told local media.

A disaster situation in the Philippines is one that involves mass casualties, major property damage, and disruption of the livelihoods and normal lifestyles of people in the affected areas.

It gives government agencies greater power to access emergency funds and accelerate the supply and delivery of essential goods and services to those in need.

According to reports, most of the deaths in the Philippines were due to drowning. The storm sent streams of muddy water down hillsides and into towns and cities.

Damage to residential areas of Cebu was extensive; many small buildings were swept away and there was a thick carpet of mud left by the receding flood waters.

Local officials described the damage caused by the storm as “unprecedented.”

Residents returning to their destroyed homes are reeling from deadly flooding earlier this week.

Jel-an Moira Servas, a business owner living in the city of Mandaue, told the BBC that when her home was flooded, she found herself waist-deep in water within minutes. He and his family were quickly evacuated, bringing only light items such as food and electronics.

“Right now, the rain has completely stopped and the sun is out, but our houses are still full of mud and everything inside is a mess,” he said. “We don’t even know where to start cleaning. I can’t even look at it without crying.”

More than 400,000 people were displaced by the disaster in Cebu, home to 2.5 million people, the national disaster agency said.

The official death toll includes the six crew members of a military helicopter that crashed on the island of Mindanao, south of Cebu, on Tuesday after being deployed to assist with relief efforts.

Volunteer rescue worker Carlos Jose Lañas told the BBC that although they were prepared for the worst-case scenario, they were caught off guard by the magnitude of the flood.

“This is the worst flood I’ve ever experienced,” the 19-year-old said. “Almost all of the rivers in Cebu overflowed their banks. Even emergency response teams did not expect this kind of scenario.”

“The rescue operation was very challenging for emergency responders around Cebu because there were so many people calling for help.”

Typhoon Kalmaegi, locally called Tino, became the 20th tropical cyclone to hit the Philippines this year, a country prone to strong storms.

It’s only been a month since back-to-back typhoons killed more than a dozen people and damaged infrastructure and crops.

Super Typhoon Ragasa, locally known as Nando, occurred in late September and was followed by Typhoon Bualoi, locally known as Opong.

In previous months, an exceptionally wet monsoon season had led to widespread flooding, sparking anger and protests over incomplete and substandard flood control systems attributed to corruption.

Typhoon Kalmaegi left the Philippines at 00:30 local time (16:30 GMT) on Thursday morning.

It has since strengthened and the maximum sustained wind speed has increased from 150 km/h to 155 km/h.

According to forecasts, it is expected to land in central Vietnam late Thursday. More than 50 flights were canceled or rescheduled.

Vietnam has already been struggling for a week with floods and record rainfall that has burst riverbanks and submerged some of the country’s most popular tourist spots.

While Thailand is also preparing for the impact of the storm, local authorities are warning against flash floods, landslides and river overflows that Kalmaegi may cause.