Philippines floods force 66,000 from homes

The Philippines' north has been hit by some of its worst flooding in decades, with torrents of muddy runoff forcing 66,000 from their homes and prompting rescues of trapped locals, authorities said Friday.

Luzon island, the nation's largest, has been hit by a string of storms that have battered its northern tip while monsoon rains were intensified by the passage of Typhoon Kammuri this week.

Large swaths of lush green land were inundated after rivers burst their banks, leaving only treetops visible above the waterline.

Landslides have cut off roads to some isolated towns and some bridges are covered by the flooding. However, authorities said they have not confirmed any deaths caused by the high water.

"This is one of the biggest floods in decades," Rogelio Sending, information officer for Cagayan province in the northeast of Luzon, told AFP.

The flood waters have have forced about 66,000 people to flee their homes, some of whom had to be rescued by emergency crews in boats, local disaster authorities said.

The north of the country has had heavy rains for nearly a month as part of monsoon season, which was worsened by at least three typhoons that have passed the Philippines since November.

Typhoon Kammuri pounded the storm-prone nation this week, leaving at least 13 people dead.

Floods kill 12 people in western Uganda
Kampala (AFP) Dec 7, 2019 - Twelve people have been swept to their deaths by floods in western Uganda, the Red Cross said on Saturday, as the East African country is battered by torrential rain.

"We have recovered 12 bodies from the water and one person has been rushed to hospital with serious injuries," said Diana Tumuhimbise, Red Cross branch manager in the Bundibugyo district.

"The rain started last night and continued until 9:00 am (0600 GMT)," she told AFP on Saturday.

"Several houses have been swept away, roads have been blocked and some washed away completely."

The Red Cross has launched a search and rescue operation with the police, military and community members in 12 affected areas but it is not yet clear how many people are missing.

Rain is hampering communication in the remote location, on the border with DR Congo and separated from the rest of Uganda by the Rwenzori mountains.

At least 20 people have been killed as a result of floods and mudslides in the last week in Uganda.

The extreme weather has been blamed on the Indian Ocean Dipole -- a climate system defined by the difference in sea surface temperature between western and eastern areas of the ocean.

At the moment, the ocean around East Africa is far warmer than usual, resulting in higher evaporation and moist air flowing inwards over the continent as rain: the hallmarks of a "positive" dipole.

Scientists warn that as ocean temperatures rise because of climate change, Indian Ocean dipoles will become more frequent and severe.

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Washington (UPI) Dec 5, 2019
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