Worst Flooding in Three Years Leaves Wake of Devastation in the Philippines

Residents wade through floodwaters to return to their submerged houses in Marikina City Metro Manila August 8, 2012. (Reuters/Cheryl Ravelo)

Worst Flooding in Three Years Leaves Wake of Devastation in the Philippines

Deadly flooding has hit the Philippine capital of Manila affecting over a million people and displacing hundreds of thousands.

Agence France-Presse reports that "Manila was drenched with more than half of a month's worth of rain in just 24 hours starting on Monday," and news agencies report that the country is experiencing the worst floods in three years.

"In some areas, I could not tell the sea from the flooded villages," said Benito Ramos, who heads the government's main disaster response agency, after viewing scenes of the flooding from a helicopter.

* * *

See the Guardian's photo gallery documenting the devastation here.

* * *

CNN and Al Jazeera have video below:

* * *

Join Us: News for people demanding a better world


Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place.

We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference.

Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today!

Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.