Philippines Hit By Major Storm

Mudslides, flash floods, and over 11 feet of water caught residents by surprise.

A devastating tropical storm has killed at least 250 people in the southern Philippines’ Mindanao group of islands. Villages in Iligan and Cagayan de Oro were entirely swept away by flash floods after over a metre of water fell in under an hour. The storm is expected to end tomorrow, though officials say the death toll is likely to rise as 400 people are still missing. An additional 20,000 people have been evacuated from Cagayan de Oro alone. The UN's World Risk Report recently ranked the Philippines the third most vulnerable to natural disasters in the world after Vanuatu and Tonga and called for improved disaster response systems.