cebu island, philippines
Reuters
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Residents in the central Philippines began shoveling mud from surviving roads and homes on Wednesday after Typhoon Karmaegi battered the region, killing at least 85 people and leaving dozens missing.
In the worst-hit province of Cebu, a major tourist hub, scenes of destruction emerged as floodwaters receded, homes reduced to rubble, vehicles overturned, roads clogged with debris and life forever changed.
In Cebu City, 58-year-old Marlon Enriquez scraped away the thick mud that covered his house as he tried to retrieve his family’s belongings.
“This is the first time something like this has happened to us. I have lived here for almost 16 years and this is the first time I have experienced flooding (like this),” he said.
But not everyone had a home to return to.
In the neighboring city of Talisay, 38-year-old Irene Oken was walking through what was once her neighborhood when she found her home completely destroyed.
“I worked and saved up for this for years, but it was all gone in the blink of an eye,” she said in a choked voice. But Oaken said she remains grateful that her family, including her two daughters, was safe.
Among the 85 dead were six military personnel whose helicopter crashed in Agusan del Sur in Mindanao while on a humanitarian mission. Disaster authorities said 75 people were missing and 17 injured.
The devastation in Calmaegui, locally known as Tino, comes just over a month after a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck northern Cebu, killing dozens and displacing thousands.
The storm submerged homes and caused widespread flooding and power outages. More than 200,000 people were evacuated across the Visayas, including parts of southern Luzon and northern Mindanao.
Karmaegi, the 20th storm to hit the Philippines, is expected to strengthen in the South China Sea. It is on its way to Vietnam and preparations are underway for Friday’s typhoon to make landfall.
China has warned of a “catastrophic wave advancing” in the South China Sea and activated a maritime disaster emergency response in the southernmost province of Hainan, state broadcaster CCTV said.
Wednesday’s report did not specify which coastal areas or parts of the ocean would be affected, but China claims a number of islands in the vast ocean, including the Spratly and Paracel Islands, which the Hainan provincial government claims to control.
In September, Super Typhoon Lagasa hit the northern Philippines, bringing fierce winds and heavy rain, forcing the closure of schools and government offices.
