Philippines Shuts Capital as Storm Causes Flood, Cancels Flights
20 Sep 2014 00:44:08
bloomberg.com
The Philippines shut government offices, financial markets and schools in the capital and nearby areas as a storm caused heavy rains and flooding.
The storm, locally known as Mario, was estimated at 190 kilometers (118 miles) east of Aurora province in main Luzon island, with maximum winds of 85 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 100 kph, the weather bureau said in its 6 a.m. bulletin. Parts of Metro Manila are submerged in knee-high water, prompting the government to suspend offices and schools.
The capital and nearby provinces of Rizal and Bulacan are under the highest rainfall warning of red which means "œsevere flooding is expected," the weather bureau said in its report. Gates at two dams in the main island of Luzon have been opened to reduce pressure on their walls, it said.
The Philippines, battered by an average of 20 cyclones yearly that form over the Pacific Ocean, is the most at-risk nation globally from tropical storms after Japan, according to research company Maplecroft. Super Typhoon Haiyan, the strongest storm ever to hit land and the equivalent of a category 5 hurricane, killed more than 6,200 people in the Philippines in November and left more than a thousand missing.
At least six international flights were diverted to Cebu province and Clark airport in Pampanga because of the weather, the transportation department said on its Twitter account. Several local flights have been canceled, it said. Floods reached chest-level in a town in Occidental Mindoro, according to a report by the provincial civil defense.
A week ago, Typhoon Kalmaegi killed at least four people and damaged 618 million pesos ($14 million) of farm output.
Typhoon Rammasun, with maximum winds of 150 kph and gusts of 170 kph, hit the Philippine capital and nearby provinces in July, killing at least 106 people and halting air and sea travel. Haiyan packed maximum winds of 315 kph.
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