Storm leaves scores dead and widespread damage in the Philippines

CNA Staff, Oct 28, 2024 / 16:05 pm (CNA).

Tropical Storm Trami (also known as Typhoon Kristine) moved over the Philippines in recent days leaving more than 150 people dead and entire communities ravaged by flooding and mudslides.

Trami hit the island of Luzon, which includes the capital Manila, bringing two months’ worth of rain to some areas in just 24 hours. It made landfill at the Vietnamese city of Danang on Sunday after crossing the South China Sea.

The Philippines’ Archdiocese of Lipa, which includes some of the areas south of Manila that have suffered serious mudslides, said in a Monday Facebook post that Archbishop Gilbert Garcera is “calling for help and prayers for the victims of Typhoon Kristine in the province of Batangas.”

“I continue to pray for our province, because after the storm hit us, many are suffering and many are in need of prayer. For now I am asking for help from you, especially to our brothers and sisters who were hit by the typhoon,” Garcera said.

According to the archdiocese, based on the latest report from the Lipa Archdiocesan Social Action Commission (LASAC), the death toll in Batangas province has reached 43 while the search continues for at least 22 missing. Currently, about 13,000 families — more than 44,000 individuals — are temporarily housed in 277 evacuation centers in different parts of Batangas, the archdiocese said.

Staff and volunteers of the social arm of the Archdiocese of Lipa held a Mass in remembrance of those who died from the disaster as well as for those who continue to serve and help the victims.

Caritas Manila, a charitable agency of the Church, is expected to send food packs and nonfood items as additional help to meet the needs of families in evacuation centers, the archdiocese concluded.

The Philippines, one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world, is hit by some 20 tropical storms and typhoons — as hurricanes are called in the Eastern Hemisphere — every year.