Celsias
Tropical storm Washi has wreaked havoc in the Philippines and more than 600 people are feared dead as the floods reach across huge areas of the country.
The major ports of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan were worst hit.
About 20,000 soldiers had been mobilised in a huge rescue and relief operation across the stricken north coast of the island of Mindanao, where the major ports of
Cagayan de Oro city reported 215 dead, and nearby Iligan city, a city of about 100,000 people, lost 144 residents, Philippine National Red Cross secretary-general Gwen Pang reports
"It's the worst flood in the history of our city," Cruz said to GMA television"It happened so fast, at a time when people were fast asleep."
President Benigno Aquino expressed concern at the extent of the tragedy and ordered government agencies to map areas in the country most vulnerable to future flash floods.
"These areas will be at risk every year ... The first (step in) mitigation has to be relocation from these areas," he said in a meeting with senior civil defence officials
The Philippines gets struck by about 20 tropical storms every year so the country is no stranger to them and it sits at the front line of climate change impact. But most hit Luzon, and few hit Mindanao.
Benito Ramos, head of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said that Mindanao residents were warned about the dangers posed by the storm days earlier but elected not to move to safer areas. Nobody would have been expecting such impact.
"We expect huge damage, especially on agriculture," Ramos said.
Photo courtesy of ibnlive.in.com
