Philippines: Floods - Sep 1998

According to the media, extensive floods triggered by back-to-back typhoons have affected a wide area on the main island of Luzon, Philippines. The floods were caused by four days of heavy rain induced by Typhoon Todd and Storm Vicki which hit the northern provinces of Luzon and parts of the central Visayas island. [...] The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) of the Philippines reported through the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Manila that massive flooding, brought about by rising waters in the low-lying areas, caused the death of 27 persons, the evacuation of 13,446 families or 70,512 persons and affected 144,789 families or 707,737 persons in the Cordillera Autonomous Region, Northern and Central Luzon and the National Capital Region. Nine hundred seventy (970) barangays of 104 municipalities in 16 provinces have been inundated. As a result of the storms, M/V Princess of the Orient sank on 18 September. Out of a total of 454 passengers and crew members, 311 were rescued while reportedly 39 died.

On 21 September the media reported that the floods have ravaged a total of about 18,000 hectares of rice lands. To date, the local Disaster Coordinating Councils in the affected regions are still in the process of assessing the estimated cost of damage to properties. (OCHA, 24 Sep 1998)