The Death Toll From Philippines’ Floods Is Still Rising

Mostly because of climate change, many parts of the world are currently experiencing extreme weather conditions. Western New York is under 4 feet of snow, Southern California is in the midst of a megadrought, Northern California is about to experience severe floods, and currently, parts of southeast Asia are experiencing life-threatening floods. In fact, flooding in the Philippines has led to a serious death toll, which is unfortunately still rising.

As of Dec. 26, according to CNN, at least 19 people were missing, several are died, and more than 45,000 locals had to evacuate their homes. Those who were displaced as a result of the floods are now taking shelter elsewhere.

“We need food. Our house and animals were carried away by floods,” Misamis Occidental resident Estela Talaruc stated, as per CNN. “Nothing was left, not even clothes.”

The country’s weather bureau, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), warned residents on Tuesday that an influx of floods and landslides are predicted in the days to come.

“The public and disaster risk reduction and management offices concerned are advised to take all necessary measures to protect life and property,” a PAGASA alert reads.

A major downpour that started on Christmas Day 2022 has sadly resulted in life-threatening floods. As of publication, according to Al Jazeera, the death toll has risen to at least 13, while the number of people missing has risen to upwards of 23.

Some of the deaths took place in the Camarines Sur province outside of Manila, where a 1ne-year-old girl and a 64-year-old man both drowned. Meanwhile, four others lost their lives in the southern province of Misamis Occidental.

Many of the people who have been reported missing are fishermen, who seemingly didn't stay up-to-date with emergency weather alerts.

Over 166,000 people in the southeast Asian country were affected by the Christmas Day storms — 46,000 were forced to evacuate their homes, and many remain without power. Coast guards, police, and firefighters have made several rescues throughout various villages, and more is still to be done, as damage assessments are currently underway.

Roads have been closed down, entire villages are still under water, homes have been effectively washed away, and rescue missions continue. But it seems as though damage to agriculture has been a main concern to local governments.

“The big damage here is livestock,” Clarin town Mayor Emeterio Roa stated over the radio, via Al Jazeera.

The recent flash floods were not caused by a tropical storm, according to Reuters. So what actually caused the 2022 Christmas Day floods?

The latest rains, according to the news outlet, evidently resulted from what's called a "shear line," instead of a tropical storm. This means that warm and cold winds formed massive rain clouds, which resulted in large amounts of rain.

Rivers overflowed into roadways, and foundations were overwhelmed by large amounts of water. While the archipelago is often hit with floods by tropical storms, this evidently wasn't the same thing. But both can be attributed to — you guessed it — climate change. So these kinds of storms are likely to become less of an anomaly as we continue to ravage our planet in more ways than one.

With that in mind, though, our thoughts go out to those affected by the fatal floods in the Philippines.