CONE OF NOT SILENCE Mount Mayon, one of the Philippines’ most active volcanoes, rumbled to life Tuesday, spewing room-sized rocks toward nearly 30 surprised climbers. Five people were killed; no evacuations were planned. (Photo: Redemtoristine Monastery via EPA / NBC News)
The Mayon Volcano has erupted a number of times over the past decade, in 2006, 2008, and 2010, and this latest burst of activity proved fatal for five people — our thoughts and sympathies go to those lost.
‘It’s like Waterworld’: Monsoon rains swamp Manila, force 270,000 to flee
Noel Celis / AFP - Getty Images
Deadly torrential rains submerged much of the Philippine capital and surrounding areas on Tuesday, forcing nearly 270,000 people to flee their homes with more flooding expected in the north of the country as a tropical storm passes through the region, officials said.
Dramatic photos, and unfortunately, an apt comparison. The BBC has some interesting eyewitness accounts of the flooding.
I called him, and he said in a very quiet voice, ‘The water is up to our stomachs, and we can’t get out. The current outside is strong.’ After that, the phone went dead.Iligan, Philippines resident Mary Ann Melancio • Talking about the heavy flooding that may have led to the death of a co-worker and his family on Saturday. Sunday, after she and her co-workers tried to find them, they were greeted by a dim scene: “We walked back to our place and could see the bodies of dead people and animals along the road. I have never seen a tragedy like this in my life.” Officials say that 652 have died in the weekend’s flooding caused by Tropical Storm Washi, and another 800 are missing. Roughly 35,000 people are in evacuation centers as a result of the storm, which left heavy flooding in its wake. Rescue efforts are ongoing. source (via • follow)
A typhoon pounded the Philippines overnight, wiping out entire villages and leaving at least 436 people dead, officials said Saturday. Many others were still unaccounted for.
Image: Erwin Mascarinas / AP
The BBC has gathered a number of first-person accounts regarding the typhoon that are worth a read.
Since our friend Charles Apple wrote about this, we should probably make a public comment here. We’re sure that the creators of Sigaw Mo meant well when they created a site that was very inspired by our own, down to the same plugins. Filipinos deserve a great source of short news, yes. But our look and feel is our look and feel. And we have to defend it. So, to be clear, we’re flattered by, but do not endorse, Sigaw Mo, which has a link on the bottom of its site to this one. And if you’re the owner of Sigaw Mo, who we’ve e-mailed multiple times already, please contact us so that we can discuss this. Here at ShortFormBlog, we don’t like to crack skulls or stomp on people’s heads like Rand Paul supporters. We prefer conversation. (Update: Alex of Sigaw Mo has graciously offered to take the design down for now. We really appreciate it.) source
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