Flood, landslide and storm in Manila, the Philippines

The capital city of the Philippines, Manila, has been flooded by monsoon rains caused by Tropical Storm Trami (known locally as Maring). 5000 people have been evacuated from Metro Manila, where water levels have reached knee height in some areas. At least three people have been reported killed so far and several are missing.

The Philippines were still recovering from the effects of Typhoon Utor (locally Labuyo) which passed over the Philippines last week. Though the nation is regularly victim to storms, this has been reported as the worst this year. The weather bureau declared a red alert for the situation on 18 August until downgrading it to yellow on the morning of 19 August as the rains lessened from heavy to moderate.

Offices and schools have been shut down in the city centre and local water reservoirs have reached their limits, leading to some of the floodgates being opened to avoid uncontrolled flooding.

Close to Manila, flooding reached as high as waist, and even neck, deep in some areas of Cavite.

A state of calamity has been declared in the province of Manila and it is forecast that the storm will continue until 21 August, bringing further rain and potential landslides.