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On Saturday, 26 September, the worst flooding in more than 40
years hit the capital city Manila and other areas of the northern
Philippines. Now Typhoon Ketsana is headed for Viet Nam.
Throughout the evening and into Saturday night, Water Search and
Rescue Teams from the Philippines National Red Cross (PNRC) worked to
save people stranded on rooftops and high walls. Using rubber and
aluminium boats, the 21 specially trained teams brought more than
400 people to Red Cross-run evacuation centres in Manila and
Benguet.
A total of 130 centres were opened within hours, giving refuge to
nearly 75,000 people. Here, they were provided with hot meals,
blankets and comfort after flash floods suddenly inundated their
homes and neighbourhoods.
The flooding was caused by a combination of Typhoon Ketsana and
monsoon rains. While the typhoon was anticipated and citizens braced
for it, it did not look as dangerous nor deadly as many previous
typhoons. However, the amount of rain it brought caught most by
surprise.
A monsoon month's rainfall in six hours
Within only six hours a staggering 35 to 55 centimetres of rain fell
on the area, an amount equivalent to a typical month's rainfall in
the monsoon season.
37 people are reported dead, towns east of Manila were submerged and
there were reports of landslides in other parts of Luzon.
Electricity in large parts of Manila either went down or was cut off
for safety reasons. The airport was closed for hours, leaving
hundreds of stranded passengers inside.
The government declared a state of calamity for Manila and 25 other
provinces in Luzon.
The PNRC dispatched the search and rescue teams late Saturday
afternoon, and mobilised hundreds of volunteers to assist stranded
families fleeing the rising waters. The teams, evacuation centres
and the Red Cross operational centre worked throughout the weekend
to save lives.
As of Sunday morning the typhoon had passed, but the rescue work
continued, since 80 per cent of Metro Manila was still under water
and more rain has been forecast. Today, there are still thousands of
people in the evacuation centres, and PNRC are dispatching
assessment teams to affected communities.
Vietnam bracing for typhoon's landfall
Typhoon Ketsana is now moving west, threatening to hit central
and northern Viet Nam within 48 hours. Heavy rains over the weekend
have already caused flooding in 19 communes across three districts.
One person has died and 20 fishermen were saved when their boat
sank. 4,000 houses have been flooded, livestock has been killed and
rice paddies have been destroyed.
Authorities have warned fishermen not to go to the sea and sent
officials to coastal areas to lead evacuation and emergency relief
work. The Viet Nam National Red Cross and the International
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have evacuated
1,200 people, including children and the elderly, and warned
communities prone to flooding to prepare for the worst. Volunteers
trained in search, rescue and water-based life saving are on standby
with boats, and Red Cross chapters in potentially impacted districts
have pre-positioned food and other relief items.
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