Drone Captures Extensive Damage As Typhoon Rai Kills 146 in Philippines (+Video)
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The death toll in the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines this year surpassed 140 after an island province reported at least 72 fatalities.
More than 300,000 people fled their homes and beachfront resorts as Typhoon Rai ravaged the southern and central regions of the archipelago, The Guardian reported.
The storm knocked out communications and electricity in many areas, ripped off roofs, toppled concrete power poles and flooded villages.
Floodwaters rose rapidly in Bohol’s riverside town of Loboc, where residents were trapped on their roofs and trees. They were rescued by the coast guard the following day.
Thousands of military, police, coast guard and fire personnel are being deployed to assist in search and rescue efforts in the worst-affected areas of the vast archipelago.
Heavy machinery - like backhoes and front-end loaders - are also being sent to help clear roads blocked by fallen power poles and trees.
A Philippine navy ship carrying goods and other relief would depart for Bohol on Monday, Yap said, after he earlier declared a state of calamity on the island.
An aerial survey of damage to the island’s north made it “very clear that our people have suffered greatly in terms of destroyed homes and agricultural losses,” he said.
There has also been widespread destruction on Siargao, Dinagat and Mindanao islands, which bore the brunt of Rai when it slammed into the Philippines.
Aerial photos shared by the military showed severe damage in the Siargao town of General Luna, where many surfers and holidaymakers had flocked ahead of Christmas, with buildings stripped of roofs and debris littering the ground.
Haiyan, called Yolanda in the Philippines, was the deadliest cyclone on record in the country, leaving more than 7,300 people dead or missing.
Rai hit the Philippines late in the typhoon season - most cyclones typically develop between July and October.
Scientists have long warned that typhoons are becoming more powerful and strengthening more rapidly as the world becomes warmer because of human-driven climate change.
About 20 storms and typhoons batter the Philippines each year. The archipelago is located in the seismically active Pacific “Ring of Fire” region, making it one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries.
