WATERY ROAD: Residents wade knee deep in floodwaters brought by Tropical Storm Saola, locally named Gener, at Navotas city, metro Manila. — Reuters photo
MANILA: At least one person was killed and millions were left without power yesterday as Tropical Storm Saola brought heavy rains to large parts of the Philippines, the government said.
Manila was one of the worst hit areas and schools across the sprawling capital were suspended, largely due to flooding, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said.
Nearly 13,000 people were evacuated in Manila, other parts of the main island of Luzon and the central Visayas region, as rainfall reached 20 millimetres (0.8 inches) an hour, according to the council.
“The worst appears to be over, though… there will be more rains forecast today,” council chief Benito Ramos told AFP.
At least one person drowned in the central province of Antique, Ramos said, adding the casualty figures could go up as more reports came in. Saola did not strike the Philippines directly but exacerbated rains from a low pressure area in the vicinity, weather forecasters said.
Yesterday morning Saola was in the Philippine Sea, 330 kilometres off the northern tip of the country and heading slowly towards Taiwan, they said.
The Manila Electric Co., which provides power to most of the capital of 15 million people and other parts of Luzon, said more than 20 per cent of its customers were without supplies.
“We apologise for the inconvenience but be assured that we are doing are best to immediately restore power,” Manila Electric said in advice to customers. — AFP