Death toll from Typhoon Saola rises to 45 - storms dumps 1.5 meters of rain

August 6, 2012 – MANILA – More than 45 people died and six others missing due to Typhoon Saola in the northern region of Philippines, reported on Monday the National Center for Disaster Prevention. A tropical storm inched across northern Taiwan on Thursday after dumping as much as five feet of rain that has flooded farmland, swollen rivers and paralyzed life on much of the densely populated island of 23 million people. Saola weakened from a typhoon to a tropical storm by late afternoon, but its slow movement and continuing heavy rains raised the prospect of devastating flooding in areas that have absorbed more than 58 inches of rain since Tuesday. The rains and flooding caused further serious damage to 74 roads, 7, 000 homes and the evacuation of about 200, 000 people still housed in improvised centers, according to the press. Landslides and overflowing dam flooded much of Manila, the capital, especially in the areas near the sea, other media reported as Rappler website. Between May and November, during rainy season in the Philippines, the archipelago is hit by an average of 15 to 20 typhoons that affect the entire region of Southeast Asia. –Prensa Latina

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