Tropical storm Trami triggers massive flooding, causes power outage in Philippines

MANILA, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Flash floods have hit several regions in the Philippines as Tropical storm Trami brought heavy rains and plunged many areas without power, affecting over 380,000 people, authorities said Wednesday.

The slow-moving Trami spotted 310 km east of Aurora province in northern Luzon on Wednesday morning, packs 85 km per hour winds and gusts of up to 105 km per hour as a tropical storm. It is expected to hit land over Isabela or northern Aurora Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.

Trami inundated streets, neighborhoods, malls and rice fields, knocking out power in the affected Bicol region, southeast of Manila.

Social media footage showed cars being carried along streets by flood waters in Naga City and Legazpi City on Tuesday night.

Jorize Rivera, a resident of Naga City, said her neighborhood was underwater after it rained all day Tuesday. "We still do not have electricity," she told Xinhua in a phone interview.

In Albay province, residents were reportedly stuck on roofs waiting for rescuers as flooding and landslides paralyzed transport in affected areas.

Authorities and local media also reported flooding in central and southern Philippines. No immediate casualties have been reported.

The state weather bureau said that heavy rainfall was expected to continue as the storm blew northwestward toward the landmass.

Trami is the 11th typhoon this year to slam into the Philippines, which is lashed by an average of 20 typhoons yearly.

The archipelago is prone to tropical cyclones which trigger heavy rains, flooding and strong winds, resulting in casualties and destruction of crops and properties.■