Zimbabwe News Update
bbc
4 min read
Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has declared a state of calamity after Typhoon Kalmaegi, one of the strongest typhoons this year, caused severe flooding in central Philippines, leaving at least 114 dead.The storm has flooded entire towns on Cebu, the region’s most populous island, where 71 deaths were reported. Another 127 are missing and 82 injured, according to officials.Cebu provincial authorities reported a further 28 deaths which were not included in the tally released by the national civil defence office, according to AFP.Kalmaegi left the Philippines on Thursday morning and is moving toward central Vietnam, where residents are still reeling from floods that killed dozens.
President Marcos Jr told reporters on Thursday that he made the decision because of the damage already caused by Typhoon Kalmaegi, and in anticipation of another storm Uwan, which is expected to hit the country over the weekend.”Almost 10 regions, around 10 to 12 regions, will be affected. So if that many areas are involved, with that kind of scope, then it’s a national calamity,” he told local media.
In the Philippines, a state of calamity is a condition involving mass casualty, major damage to property, and disruption to means of livelihoods and the normal way of life for people in the affected areas.It gives government agencies more power to access emergency funds and fast-track the procurement and delivery of essential goods and services to those in need.Most of the deaths in the Philippines were due to drowning, reports said.
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