Several days after the passing of the Usman storm in the Philippines, the balance sheet has become even heavier. Local authorities report at least 126 deaths, mainly due to landslides.
126 people is the new balance sheet released this Sunday, January 6 by the Philippines authorities , after the passage of the storm that swept the center of the country after Christmas. The majority of deaths occurred because of large landslides.
Floods had also been generated by this storm that hit the islands in the east and central archipelago on December 29th. A previous report stated 85 dead.
More than a hundred people died in the mountainous Bicol region, southeast of Manila, Natural Disaster Management Service officials said.
“Usman storm spilled the equivalent of more than a month of rain”
This area is accustomed to typhoons, and residents may not have taken the measure of the violence of the approaching storm as the authorities did not warn of tropical cyclones. Many were also likely reluctant to leave their homes during the Christmas holidays.
“In just two days, the Usman storm poured the equivalent of more than a month of rain into the Bicol region , ” said Edgar Posadas, spokesman for the Natural Disaster Management Agency. “Research continues, but mud and soil instability is a challenge,” he said, adding that 26 people were missing.
More than 152,000 people have been displaced by this storm and at least 75 were injured. Approximately 20 typhoons or storms hit the Philippines each year, killing hundreds of people. Typhoon Haiyan, which occurred in November 2013, remains the deadliest in Philippine history, leaving behind more than 7,350 dead or missing.