ALBAWABA - As Storm Trami continues to tear through the country, Philippines President Bongbong Marcos said that more than 126 people have been killed or reported missing, with the death toll expected to rise in the upcoming days.
Marcos, who toured the severely affected area southeast of Manila on Saturday, stated that the storm's very high rainfall total, which in some places amounted to one to two months' worth of rainfall in a single day, overwhelmed evacuation centers in the provinces struck by Trami.
Trami, one of the deadliest and most damaging storms to hit Southeast Asia this year, surged away from the northwest Philippines on Friday, leaving at least 85 people dead and 41 missing, according to the government's disaster response agency.
In the lakeside town of Talisay in Batangas province, dozens of police, firefighters, and other emergency officials, supported by three backhoes and sniffer dogs were dispatched to the area to initiate rescue missions.
The national news agency reported that over five million people were in the storm's path, including around half a million who mostly sought refuge in more than 6,300 emergency shelters spread across many provinces.
Marcos voiced concerns during an emergency Cabinet meeting over official
forecasters' claims that the storm, which is the 11th to hit the Philippines this year, may turn around next week when high-pressure winds in the South China Sea push it back.
To ensure the safety of millions of residents on the major northern island of Luzon, the government closed its offices and schools for the third day on Friday. Thousands of people were left stranded when inter-island ferry services were also canceled.
