More rain is expected in the Philippines as 83,000 people take shelter in evacuation centers.
Authorities in the Philippines reported at least 27 storm related fatalities this month, and weather forecasters warned that the Southeast Asian nation would continue to experience heavy rains.
Since the Christmas weekend, the southern and central islands of the country have experienced heavy rains and flooding, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.
According to a report released on Sunday by the civil defence office, at least three storms have killed 27 people nationwide since the year’s beginning.
Eleven people were reported injured and three are missing.
State weather forecaster PAGASA warned on Sunday of heavy rains over the Bicol Peninsula and Quezon province in the southern tip of the main island of Luzon.
“Under these conditions, flooding and rain-induced landslides are likely in areas that are highly… susceptible to these hazards,” PAGASA said in an advisory.
More than 83,000 people are sheltering in evacuation centres, according to the civil defence office, and more than 1,200 houses have been damaged by floodwaters and heavy rains.
The Philippines is ranked among the most vulnerable nations to the impacts of climate change, and scientists have warned that storms are becoming more powerful as the world gets warmer.