World: Filipinos struggle to recover after deadly tropical storm
- I called him, and he said in a very quiet voice, ‘The water is up to our stomachs, and we can’t get out. The current outside is strong.’ After that, the phone went dead.
- Iligan, Philippines resident Mary Ann Melancio • Talking about the heavy flooding that may have led to the death of a co-worker and his family on Saturday. Sunday, after she and her co-workers tried to find them, they were greeted by a dim scene: “We walked back to our place and could see the bodies of dead people and animals along the road. I have never seen a tragedy like this in my life.” Officials say that 652 have died in the weekend’s flooding caused by Tropical Storm Washi, and another 800 are missing. Roughly 35,000 people are in evacuation centers as a result of the storm, which left heavy flooding in its wake. Rescue efforts are ongoing. source
