DELUGE

Philippines Floods Kill 140

A month’s worth of rain in 12 hours.

The Philippines experienced the worst flooding in four decades this past weekend—so far, at least 140 people have died. Officials in the capital of Manila, which was hit especially hard in by Tropical Storm Ketsana, called for international help, saying that the country may not have sufficient resources to deal with another storm that's expected to hit the island nation as early as Friday. The government declared a “state of calamity” in Manila and 25 other provinces affected by the storm. More than a month’s worth of rain inundated the country in just 12 hours this past weekend. Police and volunteers rescued more than 7,900 people, many of whom sought refuge on their roofs. Rescuers continued to pull bodies from the waters Monday. The U.S. has donated $100,000 to the relief efforts, and sent a military helicopter, five rubber boats, and about 20 American soldiers to the scene to assist.