Philippines Floods, Landslides Kill at Least 16 After Nine Days of Heavy Rain

A relentless nine-day downpour, equivalent to more than a month's average rainfall in some areas, has triggered deadly floods and landslides across the northern Philippines, claiming at least 16 lives. The heavy rains, intensified by tropical storms, have paralyzed the main island of Luzon, leading to the closure of schools and government offices, and inundating the streets of the capital, Manila.

In the popular resort city of Baguio, north of Manila, seven fatalities were reported after a rain-soaked mountainside gave way, crushing three homes. Rescue operations are ongoing, but efforts are hampered by the severe weather, with a safety officer overseeing the manual search for survivors due to the risk of further landslides. Baguio has recorded significantly higher rainfall than usual for August, with accumulated precipitation reaching 1,413.2mm between August 1-9, far exceeding the monthly average of 963.2mm.

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Rescue efforts are continuing, but they are doing it manually because of the heavy rain.

Elsewhere on Luzon, landslides accounted for six additional deaths, while other victims drowned, were struck by falling trees, or were electrocuted. Despite the ongoing rain, Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon noted that floodwaters were beginning to recede. However, he highlighted the need to address long-standing issues with ineffective flood mitigation projects, referencing a scandal involving billions of dollars lost on fraudulent flood-control initiatives.

The Philippines, situated in the Pacific cyclone belt, experiences an average of 20 storms and typhoons annually, placing millions in disaster-prone regions in a cycle of poverty. Scientists increasingly link the heightened frequency, duration, and intensity of such extreme weather events to human-driven climate change.

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Our interventions are continuing, but we really need to fix the years and decades' worth of faulty flood mitigation interventions.