Philippines: Typhoon 'Ondoy' Death Toll Reaches 243

Almost a week after typhoon Ondoy left the Philippine area of responsibility, several Manila cities and towns remain submerged in floodwater. As of 6:30 a.m. today, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) of the Philippines reported 243 dead with several others missing. Damage to infrastructure is expected to hit P5 billion while more than two thousand homes were destroyed. Typhoon Ondoy was reported to be a rain-filled typhoon but with less wind. It was reported by the Philippine Weather Bureau that the rain content of Typhoon Ondoy was more than the volume of rainwater that Hurricane Katrina dropped in New Orleans a few months ago. Sunstar reports: 'A total of 373,675 families or 2,254,915 persons have been affected by flooding. Several 78,892 families or 389,616 persons are now staying in 561 evacuation centers located in areas near Rizal, Marikina, Quezon City, Taguig and Pasig. The joints units of armed forces, police, firemen and other rescue groups have rescued a total number of 73,892 persons and 31families'. The unusually heavy rain brought in by typhoon Ondoy left thousands of residents homeless in the cities of Marikina, Pasig, Taguig and the towns of Cainta, Taytay, San Mateo, Rodriguez, among others, as their homes remain submerged in flood waters. Local government authorities in the affected towns and cities of Metro Manila pointed to the clogged drainage and heavily silted rivers as major causes of rising flood water. Pasig River, the main tributary of rainwater to Manila Bay, is heavily silted. Indiscriminate dumping of domestic and industrial waste has been identified as the main cause of clogging . Environmentalists are calling on the government regulators to implement appropriate environmental laws to avoid accidents and deaths due to rising floodwater as a result of the indiscriminate dumping of waste into the rivers and streams.