The Philippines struggled with the consequences of two storms

Philippines mobilizes helicopters, speedboats, and amphibious vehicles to evacuate people after the storm of Nalgae while rescue forces race against time to provide food and water to several hundred people still stuck on Roof.

Storm Nalgae entered Isabela province in northeastern Philippines on October 1. It then swept across the northern hills and plains in central Luzon - still suffering from heavy rains and strong winds as a result of Typhoon Nesat. At least three people died from Nalgae storm, while Typhoon Nesat killed 56 people and left 28 missing.

AP said that seven cities in the northern capital of Manila are still submerged in flood waters. In Calumpit city in Bulacan province, several hundred people in 4 villages live on the roof for the past 4 days. They cling to ropes or wear cans, buoys and empty bottles so as not to be swept away by floodwaters.

People wade in flood water to evacuate in the city
Calumpit, Bulacan province on October 2. (Photo: AP)

The rubber boat of the rescue force and volunteers cannot reach the people living on the roof because the roads leading to the villages are too narrow. City officials dispatched two military helicopters to drop food and water onto people on the roof.

The major challenge for rescuers and officials is that the number of people to be evacuated is too great compared to the number of vehicles they have. In addition, many people refused to leave the house, despite the meteorological agency's warning that flood levels could rise, AFP reported.

"We cannot evacuate the entire population because of the large number of people ," admits Calumpit's mayor James de Jesus.

Mr. Benito Ramos, head of the National Disaster Risk Management and Mitigation Agency, said many rescue teams tried to overcome numerous obstacles to reach isolated villages in the flood, but the people lived. those places refused to leave the house. So many rescue workers got angry.

"This is the first time in my life I have seen the whole city flooded. We could not get anything but clothes and a stove , " said Josefina Barleta, a 69-year-old woman.

Barleta said that she and four children and grandchildren wanted to stay on the roof rather than the cramped evacuation centers, where clean water was a luxury.

Nesat and Nalgae are two of the strongest storms hitting the Philippines this year. Their rains cover most of Luzon. According to preliminary estimates by officials, the damage caused by Nesat storms on agriculture and infrastructure in the Philippines is about $ 200 million.