Relief Efforts Continue in Flood-Hit Manila

Posted August 10th, 2012 at 4:00 am (UTC-5)
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Aid groups are appealing for emergency funding to assist the victims of the recent devastating floods in the Philippine capital, as the death toll from the disaster rose to 60.

Over 2.4 million people have been affected by the floods, which left as much as 80 percent of Manila underwater. The waters have now begun to subside, but officials say over 362,000 people are still seeking help in government evacuation centers.

Humanitarian aid groups and government health officials have struggled to help those that have been affected by the severe flooding.

The International Federation of the Red Cross says it needs $950,000 in emergency funding to help provide much-needed food and other relief items to the affected communities.

As many residents attempt to begin rebuilding their destroyed homes, officials say they may now face the additional threat of an outbreak of diseases such as diarrhea and bacterial infections.

Manila and the surrounding provinces received more than a month's worth of monsoon-powered rainfall in just 48 hours at the beginning of the week. It was the worst flooding to hit the country since Tropical Storm Ketsana killed 464 people three years ago.