‘Operation clean-up’ begins in flood-hit Philippines

IN THE wake of the Philippines disaster the focus shifted from rescue work to a clean-up of the capital yesterday following non-stop rains that left tons of muck and debris from floods littering the city.

The torrential monsoon rains that began on Sunday left at least 60 people dead in the worst flooding in Manila since 2009.

More than half of the city of 12 million residents was submerged at the peak of the floods and schools and offices closed for days.

About 2.4 million people in Manila and nearby provinces have been affected, forcing more than 360,000 to seek shelter in government-run evacuation centres, the Office of Civil Defence reported yesterday.

The sun was out for a second day yesterday and residents were hard at work repairing homes and stores in flood-hit communities that resembled a ­wasteland.

“It’s really an eyesore when we saw it from the helicopter,” said civil defence chief Benito Ramos. “There will be no more rescue. It’s now ‘operation clean-up’.”