Philippines: Sepat storm caused Manila capital to flood

Although not landing in the Philippines, Typhoon Sepat has caused heavy rain to flood in Manila and the northern region, forcing authorities to close government schools and offices. Hundreds of people were evacuated.

Typhoon Sepat is the fifth storm this year in the Philippines. According to experts forecasting the weather, this is the biggest storm threatening the Philippines since the beginning of the year. At noon, August 16, Typhoon Sepat is about 500 km northeast of the Philippines. Although not landing in the country, weather experts warn the storm, with wind gusts of over 220 km / h, will continue to cause heavy rain.

On August 15, Typhoon Sepat caused heavy rain that flooded many parts of Manila, causing serious traffic congestion. According to the Philippine Presidential Office, President Macapagal Arroyo and the convoy were also caught between traffic in the Makati financial center, making Mrs. Arroyo attend a late event up to 1 hour.

There have been no reports of damage or casualties from storms, but in the cities of Marikina, Malabon and San Juan, more than 220 people have been evacuated from flooded homes.

By August 16, many main roads outside Manila were still submerged, with depths of up to 1.5 m. Schools in Manila and surrounding provinces continued to close, while in the neighboring Rizal province, authorities demanded evacuation of about 100 people after a landslide.

According to weather forecaster Lucrecio About, storm Sepat is currently moving northwest, 15 km per hour. It is forecasted on August 18, the storm will pass near Batanes northernmost province before heading south to Taiwan and landing on mainland China.

On August 16, Taiwan issued a warning calling for boats to return to the port due to the stronger storm of Sepat and moving toward the island coast.

Path of storm Sepat (Photo: tsr.mssl.ucl.ac.uk)

T.VY