400,000 Evacuated, 3 Dead as Fresh Storm Batters Philippines

AFP/APP

Manila: The Philippines evacuated nearly 400,000 people and confirmed at least three deaths on Friday as Severe Tropical Storm Bualoi battered the country, which is still reeling from the devastation of Super Typhoon Ragasa earlier this week.

Civil defence officials in southern Luzon’s Bicol region said three people were killed after walls collapsed and trees were uprooted by the storm, which is sweeping west-northwest with sustained winds of 110 kilometres per hour.

In Masbate province, evacuees sheltering in a church were forced to take cover under pews after fierce winds tore through the building.

“Around 4am, the wind destroyed the door, the windows and the ceiling of the church,” said Jerome Martinez, a municipal engineer in Masbate. “That’s one of the strongest winds I’ve ever experienced.”

Several children sustained minor injuries requiring stitches, while many houses and roofs were destroyed, leaving streets and roads blocked by debris.

Bernardo Alejandro, a civil defence official, said around 400,000 people had been evacuated from high-risk areas. “We are clearing many big trees and toppled electric posts because many roads are impassable,” added Frandell Anthony Abellera, a rescuer in Masbate City.

Social media videos, verified by AFP, showed residents navigating flooded streets in the central Visayas islands using boats or wading through waist-deep water.

Climate risks and public anger

The Philippines experiences an average of 20 storms and typhoons each year, leaving millions of citizens in disaster-prone areas trapped in cycles of poverty. Scientists warn that climate change is making storms more frequent and intense.

Authorities had already warned of a “high risk of life-threatening storm surge” of up to three meters with Bualoi.

Thousands of people also remain displaced after Super Typhoon Ragasa struck the country’s far north earlier this week, killing at least nine people.

Meanwhile, public anger is growing over a scandal involving bogus flood-control projects, allegedly costing taxpayers billions of dollars, even as citizens demand stronger protections against worsening climate disasters.