Authorities in the Philippines report a devastating toll from Tropical Storm Megi, which swept through the central and southern regions of the archipelago. The latest official update tallies at least 137 fatalities, with 28 individuals still missing. The National Council for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management notes that many deaths occurred in the eastern province of Leyte, where landslides buried several towns and the final death count could rise as search and rescue operations continue.
Emergency teams persist in recovery efforts, focusing on Baybay and Abuyog municipalities. In Baybay, workers initially responded to a smaller landslide after alarms were raised by nearby residents; however, a subsequent, larger slide overwhelmed a number of people, including members of the emergency crew, as reported by local authorities. This ongoing danger underscores the peril faced by responders in affected communities.
Megi, which the Philippines named Agaton, approached from the country’s eastern coastline, entering from the northwest and moving through the Visayas and Mindanao archipelagos. The storm brought widespread flooding and numerous landslides across central and southern islands, affecting more than 1.6 million people. The event triggered hundreds of floods and dozens of landslides as it traversed the region, compounding an already vulnerable disaster landscape.
As Megi made landfall, it became the first major weather event of the year to strike a country with frequent tropical storms. The country experiences roughly twenty typhoons annually, a pattern that tests the capacity of local governments and emergency services. In the lead-up to Holy Week, authorities faced challenges in issuing timely warnings, a factor that influenced preparedness and response. Historical context remains stark: December’s Typhoon Rai caused significant loss of life, while Typhoon Haiyan in 2013 stands out as one of the strongest storms to make landfall, claiming thousands of lives and shaping future disaster planning and resilience efforts across the archipelago.
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