Typhoon Fengshen

(Image:NOAA)




(Image: UNISYS)


From AP:

The Philippine Red Cross says the death toll from Typhoon Fengshen has risen to at least 155, with the storm submerging entire communities in torrential downpours and and setting off landslides.

From ReliefWeb:

At least 30,000 people living in Iloilo in the central Philippines had scrambled onto rooftops fleeing the rushing water after the man-made dam overflowed, said the city's acting mayor Jed Mabilog.

The storm forced more than 200,000 people to seek temporary shelter in the eastern Bicol region, the civil defence office said.

I am curious what emergency management is like in the Philippines. Also, what are building codes like? In another report, 700 people are missing from a ferry that was running during the storm. Is there such poor communication that ferries with 700 people on them still run during large storms? I am not familiar with emergency management in developing countries, but it sounds like local governments in the Philippines have some work to do. I would guess that there are some relatively low cost solutions that would lead to major benefits in terms of saved lives.