Death Toll from Philippines’ Flooding Rises

The death toll from Christmas Day flooding in the Philippines has climbed to 51. 19 people are missing. The Associated Press (AP) gave this update on Monday. Floods have gone down in most parts of the Southeast Asian nation. Still, more than 8,600 people remain in shelters.

The Philippines is in the Pacific Ocean. It's made up of about 7,641 islands.  

A shear line is the point where warm and cold air meet. It caused heavy rains that led to the floods, officials said. Many villages, towns, and highways in parts of the country were covered by water. That forced more than 50,000 people to flee their homes. Over 4,500 houses were damaged. 

Mindanao is the name of the southern group of islands. This area was hit hardest. That's according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. Those missing include fishermen whose boats tipped over.  

Roads and bridges were damaged, too. Some areas don't have power. Others don't have safe water, the disaster management agency said. Damage to infrastructure and crops is an estimated 1.36 billion pesos. That's about $24.4 million.

Officials said the government has provided supplies, sent equipment for clearing wreckage, and given out iron sheets and shelter repair kits, according to the AP. Teams from the capital city of Manila were sent to help affected communities set up water filtration systems. At least 22 cities have declared a state of calamity. That allows for the release of emergency funds. 

Reuters reported that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said he may make visits to the areas that were hit after his trip to China from January 3-5.

Photo from Reuters.