Powerful storm Bualoi batters the Philippines, leaving three dead and forcing 400,000 to evacuate

MANILA, Sept 26 — Hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated in the Philippines and at least three deaths confirmed Friday as Severe Tropical Storm Bualoi tore across the country still reeling from the impact of Super Typhoon Ragasa.

Civil defence officials in southern Luzon’s Bicol region said three people were killed when walls collapsed and trees were toppled by Bualoi, which was moving west-northwest with sustained winds of 110 kilometres per hour.

In Masbate province, evacuees seeking shelter inside a church were forced to duck under pews after the roof was ripped off.

“Around 4am, the wind destroyed the door, the windows and the ceiling of the church,” municipal engineer Jerome Martinez told AFP. “That’s one of the strongest winds I’ve ever experienced,” he said, adding that several children suffered minor injuries needing stitches.

“I think more people will have to evacuate because many houses were destroyed and roofs blown away. Debris is now blocking streets and roads.”

Authorities said around 400,000 people have been evacuated. “We are clearing many big trees and toppled electric posts because many roads are impassable,” rescuer Frandell Anthony Abellera in Masbate City told AFP.

“The rain was strong, but the wind was stronger,” he added.

Videos verified by AFP showed residents wading through waist-deep floods or using boats to move along submerged streets in the Visayas region further south.

Storms and public outrage

The Philippines experiences an average of 20 storms and typhoons annually, leaving millions vulnerable in disaster-prone areas. Scientists warn that climate change is fueling stronger and more destructive storms.

Ahead of Bualoi’s arrival, authorities warned of a “high risk of life-threatening storm surge” of up to three meters (10 feet).

The storm comes just days after Super Typhoon Ragasa battered the country’s far north, leaving at least nine people dead and thousands still displaced.

Meanwhile, public anger is intensifying over an alleged multi-billion-dollar scandal involving fraudulent flood-control projects, compounding frustration as communities struggle with repeated disasters. — AFP