The death toll from Typhoon Kalamegi in the Philippines has risen to more than 100, with dozens more missing, prompting Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to declare a state of emergency on Thursday.
Kalamegi reached the central Philippines on Tuesday, bringing torrential rains and gale-force winds.
Most of the deaths have occurred on the island of Cebu, where some of the province’s worst recent flooding has occurred. Flood waters swept away huts, vehicles and even shipping containers.
The Philippine Red Cross said rapidly rising waters had forced residents onto the roofs of their homes.
At least 72 people have been killed and more than 140 others injured in a devastating storm that hit the province less than a month after a powerful earthquake.
What do we know about casualties?
At least 49 people have died in Cebu province. The Philippine Civil Defense Office said they died from drowning, landslides and falling debris.
Eight people have been confirmed dead on the neighboring island of Negros and in the provinces of Capiz, Bohol, Leyte and Southern Leyte.
Six people were killed when a Philippine Air Force helicopter crashed in Agusan del Sur province on Tuesday while it was on its way to provide humanitarian aid to typhoon-hit provinces, the Philippines military said, without specifying the cause of the crash.
The OCD also reported 28 other deaths, without providing further details.
At least 75 people were missing; The OCD said 13 in Cebu, and 62 on Negros Island.
The country’s disaster management agency said more than 430,000 people were displaced.
What else do we know about Typhoon Kalmegi?
Large scale power cuts also occurred due to Kalmegi. Most of the affected areas in the provinces of Cebu, Southern Leyte and Negros Occidental were either partially or completely without power.
The storm has caused severe transportation disruptions and more than 30 flights were canceled on Wednesday.
Shipping was also affected and about 3,000 passengers were stranded at ports, the Philippine Coast Guard said.
Kalamegi left the western Philippine province of Palawan and entered the South China Sea just before noon local time (4 a.m. GMT) on Wednesday, with maximum sustained winds of 130 kilometers (81 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 180 kilometers per hour.
The storm was headed toward Vietnam, which is still recovering from days of record-breaking rainfall that caused flash flooding.
Fishing boats have returned to shore, and local authorities have prepared for possible evacuations as well as setting up shelters and stockpiling emergency food supplies.
Kalmegi is expected to reach Vietnam by Friday morning.
Thailand’s meteorological agency also issued an advisory for the north, east and center of the country, warning of heavy rain from Friday to the weekend that could cause flooding and landslides.
Philippines braces for another impending typhoon
The Philippine Weather Bureau said another tropical cyclone is heading towards the country, and is expected to make landfall on Friday evening or Saturday.
The storm is expected to strengthen further and could become a super typhoon over the weekend.
The Philippines is affected by about 20 tropical cyclones each year. More than 6,300 people died when Super Typhoon Haiyan hit the country in November 2013.
Edited by: Srinivas Majumdaru