PHILIPPINES. Manila: On Tuesday, Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr conducted an aerial survey of the southern province. The province is currently affected by severe landslides triggered by a tropical storm, Nalgae.
The tropical storm has reportedly killed an estimated number of 110 people and displaced nearly 2.4 million of the country’s population.
The national disaster agency noted that more than 100 people were left wounded, seeking critical medical attention. On the other hand, 33 were still missing due to widespread flash floods and multiple landslides.
“Nalgae, which poses a severe international threat as a natural calamity to the Southeast Asian nations, is set to descend upon southern China after an estimated destruction of $22 million worth of farm goods and $13 million worth of infrastructure,” according to government data.
Nalgae is reportedly the second-most severe storm to strike the Philippines so far this year after the tropical storm Megi claimed the lives of 214 people in April.
On Tuesday, President Marcos traveled to the southern province to oversee and assess the efficiency of relief operations and rescue programs.
Marcos also ordered officials to distribute relief packages faster and called for better organization and preparation ahead of four more tropical storms predicted before the end of the year.
Nalgae is also reportedly the country’s 14th cyclone this year.
Visiting an evacuation facility in Maguindanao province, President Marcos said: “When we were doing an aerial inspection, I noticed that landslides occurred in denuded mountains, and that was the problem.”
According to national authorities and data acquired, most of the Nalgae casualties hailed from the southern autonomous region of Bangsamoro. This happened because of rain-induced landslides in deforested zones.
The Philippines, an archipelagic nation of more than 7,600 islands, is a sensitive geographical zone, volatile and prone to at least 20 typhoons annually. Frequent landslides and flash floods are due to the growing intensity of tropical cyclones and rains due to climate change.
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