Heavy rains and flooding have left at least ten people dead and two others still unaccounted for, with the situation unfolding across several eastern and southern provinces, according to the national disaster management agency on Thursday.
In its latest briefing, the national emergency team updated the numbers: more than 8,000 residents have fled their homes and are taking shelter in evacuation centers, while over 430,000 people across the country have been affected by the storm.
The hardest hit areas include the island of Samar, where two fatalities have been confirmed and eight others remain missing, and Mindanao in the eastern and southern portions of the archipelago. Heavy rainfall has triggered floods and landslides in these regions, complicating relief and rescue efforts.
PAGASA, the state meteorological agency, noted on Thursday that rainfall is expected to continue in the next hours and may stretch into Mindanao and much of the central Visayas region through the weekend. The agency also indicated that the system is unlikely to develop into a tropical storm.
The Philippines faces a climate reality, experiencing between 15 and 20 tropical cyclones annually, making the country highly vulnerable to climate-related hazards. Experts from international organizations have highlighted slum settlements as a major contributor to the high death toll from natural disasters, pointing to weak infrastructure and crowded living conditions as critical risk factors. This underlines the ongoing need for resilient housing, robust drainage systems, and better disaster preparedness across urban and rural communities. [Source: National Disaster Reduction and Management Council; PAGASA]