Flooding Displaces Over 70,000, Two Missing in Philippines

Torrential rains from Tropical Storm Wipha caused severe flooding in the Philippine capital, Manila, forcing tens of thousands of residents to evacuate, with schools and government offices closed across the region. The Marikina River burst its banks, reaching a height of 18 meters, displacing more than 23,000 people living along the river and an additional roughly 47,000 from other parts of Metro Manila, including Quezon, Pasig, and Caloocan. At least six people have died, and several remain missing, including an elderly woman and her driver swept away while crossing a swollen creek; one body was recovered far from the incident site. Floodwaters have begun to recede, but many residents remain unable to return home amid continued monsoon rains. Climate change is contributing to the increasing severity and frequency of such storms in the Philippines, which regularly experiences around 20 typhoons or storms annually. A new tropical depression off the east coast threatens to prolong heavy rains through the week, raising concerns over further flooding.