Follow Newser on Twitter   Friend Newser on Facebook
Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

652 Now Dead in Philippines Storm

Women, children make up majority of the dead

By Kate Schwartz,  Newser Staff

Posted Dec 18, 2011 9:18 AM CST

(Newser) – Tropical Storm Washi blew past the Philippines today, leaving heartbreak in its wake. The death toll now sits at 652—mostly women and children—with another 900 missing, according to the local Red Cross. Another 45,000 people have been displaced in the coastal cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan, reports the AP. "It's overwhelming. We didn't expect" so many dead, says the head of the country's disaster-response agency, adding that authorities are continuing to find bodies floating at sea.

He attributed the high casualties "partly to the complacency of people because they are not in the usual path of storms" despite warnings by officials that one was approaching. In just 12 hours, Washi dumped more than a month's worth of rain on Mindanao island; flash floods cascaded down mountain slopes and uprooted trees, swelling rivers. "I returned and saw that our house was completely gone," says a 21-year-old who lost her parents and seven other family members. "There was nothing but mud all over and knee-deep floodwaters."

A resident carries items he retrieved from the debris Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011 in Iligan city in southern Philippines.
A resident carries items he retrieved from the debris Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011 in Iligan city in southern Philippines.   (Bullit Marquez)
A resident walks past destroyed houses Sunday, Dec.18, 2011 at Iligan city in southern Philippines.
A resident walks past destroyed houses Sunday, Dec.18, 2011 at Iligan city in southern Philippines.   (Bullit Marquez)
A car rests on the concrete fence of a house Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011 at Iligan city in southern Philippines.
A car rests on the concrete fence of a house Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011 at Iligan city in southern Philippines.   (Bullit Marquez)
Residents retrieve usable items from their destroyed houses Sunday, Dec.18, 2011 after a flash flooding in Cagayan De Oro city in southern Philippines.
Residents retrieve usable items from their destroyed houses Sunday, Dec.18, 2011 after a flash flooding in Cagayan De Oro city in southern Philippines.   (BULLIT MARQUEZ)
A resident cooks her meal on a drier portion of her muddy house Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011 in Iligan city in southern Philippines.
A resident cooks her meal on a drier portion of her muddy house Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011 in Iligan city in southern Philippines.   (Bullit Marquez)
Residents take a break outside their destroyed house Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011 in Iligan city in southern Philippines.
Residents take a break outside their destroyed house Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011 in Iligan city in southern Philippines.   (Bullit Marquez)
Remains of destroyed houses, toppled trucks and uprooted trees lie along a flood-hit area in Cagayan de Oro city, southern Philippines, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011.
Remains of destroyed houses, toppled trucks and uprooted trees lie along a flood-hit area in Cagayan de Oro city, southern Philippines, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011.   (Froilan Gallardo)
Residents try to save their damaged vehicles Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011 at Iligan city in southern Philippines.
Residents try to save their damaged vehicles Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011 at Iligan city in southern Philippines.   (Bullit Marquez)
A resident wades through a muddy portion of his front yard Sunday, Dec.18, 2011 in Iligan city in southern Philippines.
A resident wades through a muddy portion of his front yard Sunday, Dec.18, 2011 in Iligan city in southern Philippines.   (Bullit Marquez)
Philippine police prepare to search for victims during retrieval operation Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011 in Iligan city in southern Philippines.
Philippine police prepare to search for victims during retrieval operation Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011 in Iligan city in southern Philippines.   (Bullit Marquez)
Cristio Tingson, foreground, talks on his cell phone as workers use a backhoe to search for victims of his buried house Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011 at Iligan city in southern Philippines.
Cristio Tingson, foreground, talks on his cell phone as workers use a backhoe to search for victims of his buried house Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011 at Iligan city in southern Philippines.   (Bullit Marquez)
Residents return to their homes to save some household items Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011 at Iligan city in southern Philippines.
Residents return to their homes to save some household items Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011 at Iligan city in southern Philippines.   (Bullit Marquez)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
My TakeCLICK BELOW TO VOTE
11%
0%
67%
4%
19%
0%
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 3 comments
aspergers-guy
Dec 20, 2011 7:59 PM CST
HAARP, please That's just a lot of rain in the atmosphere from a lot of ice melting all over the planet from too much CO2 in the atmosphere down here in the troposphere warming everything up too much in too short a period of time And it's about to get a *lot* more greenhouse warming gases down here, besides CO2, there's a bunch of heat & infrared radiation trapping CH4 coming to an atmosphere near you ! nyti.ms/vvpJAS (it's just the stuff of decomposition & flatulence lol bit.ly/veXy4m)
NationalSovereignty
Dec 18, 2011 11:22 AM CST
HAARP
baba
Dec 18, 2011 10:29 AM CST
I guess you could say there were...washi'd away? Yeaahhh...

 
Philippines • typhoon • tropical storms

More Newser Stories

Deadly Typhoon Slams Philippines

Typhoon Kills 10 in Philippines

Mega Typhoon Rips Philippines

Typhoon Kills 26 in Philippines

Fourth Typhoon Hits Philippines; 7 Dead
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Timelines   |   Geek Sugar   |   Business Insider   |   HuffPost Entertainment