Hanoi (VNA) - Floodwaters driven by torrential rains from Typhoon Wipha brought life in the Philippine capital to a halt on July 22 with tens of thousands evacuated from their homes and at least two people believed missing.
Schools and government offices in Manila and the surrounding provinces were closed after a night of rain that saw the region's Marikina River burst its banks.
More than 23,000 people living along the river were evacuated overnight, sheltering in schools, village halls and covered courtyards. Another 25,000 more were evacuated in the metropolitan area's Quezon and Caloocan cities.
Ongoing monsoon rains have killed at least three people and left another seven missing in the central and southern Philippines since Tropical Storm Wipha skirted the country on July 18, according to the Philippine’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
At least 20 storms or typhoons strike or come near the Philippines each year, with the country's poorest regions typically the hardest hit./.
