‘Everything was gone’: devastating floods in the Philippines
Typhoon season in the Philippines has always been disruptive, but the storms are getting more ferocious and more frequent because of climate change. Deforestation and development have made things worse.
Over the past two weeks, torrential rains and back-to-back typhoons have killed up to 70 people. As of Monday, 24 of the 28 towns in Cagayan Province were under water as the Cagayan River overflowed. And the Magat Dam, one of the country’s largest reservoirs, spilled over — possibly for the first time in decades.
In some areas, power and communications have been out for days. Flooding has now affected eight regions and three million people, according to the U.N. The water is receding, but many villages remain inaccessible.
Quotable: “The Cagayan River was so wide, even before. But now it resembles an ocean,” said Manuel Mamba, Cagayan’s governor.
The New York Times