Philippines: 44 Dead, 28 Missing in Christmas Floods (Philstar.com)
MANILA, Philippines — Forty-four have died in flooding in the southern and eastern parts of the country that began on Christmas Day, December 25, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management said Friday. Twenty-eight people are listed as missing, while 12 others were reported injured. The rains affected over half a million individuals, and damaged 4,522 houses in MIMAROPA, Bicol region, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao region, CARAGA, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Damage to infrastructure was estimated at P1.1 billion, while agricultural damage was pegged at P234.7 million. The floods were triggered by the rains dumped by the shear line—where cold and warm winds converge.