"Among those stranded by the floodwaters was young actress Christine Reyes, who was rescued by movie and TV heartthrob Richard Gutierrez from the rooftop of her home near Manila after she made a frantic call for help to a local TV network with her mobile phone"
Also see: The Philippine Flash-Flood
"Hundreds die in flooded Philippines; Officials make plea for help as toll mounts" by Teresa Cerojano, Associated Press | September 29, 2009
MANILA - Rescuers pulled more bodies from swollen rivers yesterday as residents started to dig out their homes from under carpets of mud after flooding killed 240 people in the Philippine capital and surrounding towns....
Rescuers pulled a mud-splattered body of a woman from the swollen Marikina River yesterday. About eight hours later, police found three more bodies in the brownish waters....
The extent of devastation became clearer as TV networks broadcast images of mud-covered communities and cars upended on city streets and reported huge numbers of villagers without drinking water, food, and power....
In other words, a MAJOR DISASTER!
Overwhelmed officials called for international help, warning they may not have sufficient resources to withstand another storm that forecasters said was brewing east of the island nation and could hit as early as Friday.
One sometimes muses whether God is punishing them for helping us in the War on Terror.
Authorities expected the death toll from Tropical Storm Ketsana, which scythed across the northern Philippines on Saturday, to rise as rescuers penetrate villages blocked by floating cars and other debris.
Yeah, and it has already moved on and struck Vietnam.
The storm dumped more than a month’s worth of rain in just 12 hours, fueling the worst flooding to hit the country in more than 40 years. In addition to the dead, 32 people are missing.
They first reported in six hours, so I don't know what is going on.
Troops, police, and volunteers have already rescued more than 7,900 people, but unconfirmed reports of more deaths abound, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro said. He told a news conference that help from foreign governments will ensure that the Philippine government can continue its relief work....
The United States has donated $100,000 and deployed a military helicopter and five rubber boats manned by about 20 American soldiers from the country’s south, where they have been providing counterterrorism training.
Related: CIA Assassination Teams Based in Philippines
So glad our assassin teams where there and could help, aren't you?
The United Nations Children’s Fund and the World Food Program have also provided food and other aid.
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