MANILA: As Tropical Storm Trami roars into the east coast, forcing thousands to evacuate and killing 14 people, rescuers from the Philippines swam through chest-deep floodwaters on Wednesday to reach those trapped.
Entire villages have been flooded, roadways have become rivers, and some cars have been buried in volcanic material that the torrential rain has released.
At least 32,000 people have fled their homes in the northern Philippines, police said, as the storm edges closer to the Southeast Asian country’s main island of Luzon.
According to police, "unexpectedly high" flooding was making rescue operations more difficult in the Bicol province, which is roughly 400 kilometers southeast of the capital Manila. According to regional police spokeswoman Luisa Calubaquib, "we sent police rescue teams, but they struggled to enter some areas because the flooding was high and the current was so strong."
According to local police commander Erwin Rebellion, eleven persons perished in floodwaters in the Bicol city of Naga. According to authorities, a youngster was murdered after slipping into a flooded canal, while an elderly woman perished in Quezon province southeast of the city. According to Manila's civil defense office, a falling tree branch killed one person.
According to the national weather bureau, the storm's center was 150 kilometers east of Isabela province in Luzon as of 8 p.m., with maximum sustained winds of 95 kph.
It was predicted to slam into the shore of Isabela late during the night or early Thursday, somewhat weakening as it traverses the island and travels out into the South China Sea, the agency reported.
In the last 24 hours, the area has already received more than 500 millimeters of rain, or more than a month's worth. Images released on Wednesday showed streets in Bato municipality, Camarines Sur province, completely covered by murky floodwaters, with only the tops of homes and convenience stores visible. It's becoming risky. Karen Tabagan, a resident, stated, "We're waiting for rescuers."
In Naga, about 40 kilometres from Bato, half of the 600 villages were fully submerged by flooding.
The GSB Hub published this content on 30 Nov,2025.