In an interview with local radio, Alejandro highlighted that the flooding predominantly affected major urban centers, with 26 individuals still unaccounted for.
Images and footage from the Philippine Red Cross depict rescue teams navigating through knee-high floodwaters in Cebu City, employing boats to assist residents in need. The source of these visuals is credited to Getty/Anadolu.
The storm, known locally as Tino, has weakened since it first struck on Tuesday morning. However, it continues to batter the region with winds reaching 120 km/h and gusts up to 165 km/h as it moves across the Visayas islands towards northern Palawan and the South China Sea.
As a precautionary measure, close to 400,000 people were evacuated ahead of the typhoon’s arrival.
“When the water levels started to rise, we initially moved to the second floor. But as the water kept climbing, we were forced to seek refuge on our roof,” recounted one resident.
‘The waters kept rising’
“When the waters rose, we went to our second floor. Yet, the waters kept rising, so we decided to head up to our roof.”
State weather agency PAGASA had earlier warned of a high risk of “life-threatening and damaging storm surges” that could reach more than 3 metres high on coastal and low-lying communities in the central Philippines.
