Parts of Manila were under 1.8m of floodwater yesterday after heavy rain lashed the Philippine capital overnight, forcing more than 400 people to flee their homes, officials said.
There was also a strong typhoon lurking in the region and although it was moving away from the Philippines and toward Japan, forecasters said it was adding to the wild weather.
“Typhoon Sanba has no direct effect but the storm enhanced the southwestern monsoon, so we will continue to experience rains,” government meteorologist Gary de la Cruz said.
Low-lying coastal areas of the capital were hardest hit, forcing people to leave their homes, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said.
At least 10 domestic flights were canceled and universities in affected areas called off classes, the council said.
Although the heavy rain eased later in the day, De la Cruz said the Philippines could continue to suffer heavy downpours until Tuesday.
So far, Sanba has caused only one fatality in the Philippines, a fisherman who ventured out to sea on Wednesday, but whose dead body was recovered two days later, the disaster management council said.
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