Philippine President Declares State of Emergency
According to the English section of webangah News Agency, citing Al Jazeera via Mehr News Agency, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared a state of emergency on Thursday after at least 241 people were reported dead or missing due to Typhoon Kalmaegi in the central provinces. The typhoon has been described as the worst natural disaster in the Philippines this year.
Philippine authorities reported that at least 114 people have died,mostly from flash floods. An additional 127 remain missing, wiht most of these cases recorded in Cebu province, which suffered the greatest damage.
Typhoon Kalmaegi passed through the Philippines on Wednesday. The emergency declaration came during a meeting between Marcos and disaster management officials to assess storm damages. He noted that this move allows the government to expedite emergency funding and prevent food hoarding and price inflation.
The Philippine government stated that around two million people have been affected by the typhoon, with over 560,000 villagers displaced. Approximately 450,000 were relocated to emergency shelters.
The Philippines faces about 20 typhoons annually, which frequently cause severe damage primarily in its poorest regions.
