Tropical Storm Bualoi claims at Least 4 Lives, Displaces 400,000 in Philippines
Tropical Storm Bualoi claims at Least 4 Lives, Displaces 400,000 in Philippines
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A tropical storm has killed at least four people and displaced hundreds of thousands after battering the Philippines, according to Al Jazeera. The storm, Severe Tropical Storm Bualoi, is the 15th tropical cyclone to strike the country this year and followed closely on the heels of Super Typhoon Ragasa.
As of Friday, the storm was lashing the central islands with gusts up to 135 kilometers per hour (84 mph), triggering widespread floods and mudslides. Civil defense officials reported that approximately 400,000 people had been evacuated across several islands, with more than 73,000 seeking shelter in government facilities in the Eastern and Northern Samar provinces.
State television confirmed four fatalities in the Bicol region, including three on Masbate island, where one victim was killed by a falling tree, and another person was struck by lightning in Camarines Norte Province.
The Philippines is struck by an average of 20 storms and typhoons annually, and forecasters predict Bualoi, now moving toward the South China Sea, could restrengthen into a typhoon as it heads toward Vietnam. Scientists continue to warn that climate change is increasing the power of storms hitting the disaster-prone nation.
