State of calamity declared in Philippines amid rains

By Maecy Alviar

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (AA) - A state of calamity has been declared in several provinces in Northern Philippines, including the capital Manila, after relentless rains that battered the country over the past week.

The continuous rain brought by two successive typhoons inundated several villages that affected more than 200,000 individuals, 13,000 of them were evacuated to temporary shelters set up by the government, Department of Social Welfare and Development said.

Educational institutes and government offices have been shut in the affected areas.

Amid widespread flooding, power supply is yet to be restored in the whole province of Bataan.

The damages to infrastructures and agriculture caused by the heavy rainfall has estimated to have breached the Php250 million ($4.71 million) mark, according to an update by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

156 houses, 30 road sections and four bridges were reportedly destroyed by massive flood and landslides.

The Philippines suffers around 20 typhoons and storms each year, many of them deadly.

In 2013, Typhoon Haiyan -- one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded -- struck the country’s central islands, leaving more than 8,000 people dead, missing and injured.