Tropical storm Aere lashes the Philippines- 17 dead, 100,000 evacuated

May 8, 2011 – MANILA, Philippines — Tropical storm Aere lashed the northeastern Philippines on Sunday, killing at least 17 people and forcing more than 100,000 villagers to flee from farming towns threatened by landslides. The storm slammed into Catanduanes province with winds of 53 miles (85 kilometres) per hour and gusts of 62 mph (100 kph). It triggered landslides and floods, disrupted transportation and knocked out power in some towns. More than 4,700 commuters were stranded in several seaports after ferries suspended trips and roads were closed due to floods and the danger of landslides, officials said. Several domestic flights were cancelled. A landslide buried a house in Camarines Sur province’s Balatan township at dawn, killing three people, including a baby, regional disaster-response director Bernardo Alejandro said. An elderly woman drowned trying to cross a swollen river in Daraga town in Albay province, and a man was electrocuted in a flooded village in Libon town. Three men drowned in Catanduanes and Leyte provinces, and a driver died in a truck crash during stormy weather in Camarines Sur, officials said. Authorities helped evacuate villagers Saturday in farming communities at the base of Mayon volcano in Albay, where heavy rain threatened to turn into mudslides. Many more fled their homes Sunday as floodwaters began to rise, disaster-response officer Jukes Nunez said. –Associated Press