MANILA, Philippines–Faulty warning systems, poverty and deforestation of mountains in Mindanao turned recent unseasonably heavy rains into deadly disasters, scientists said in a report Friday. ADVERTISEMENTA study by the World Weather Attribution group found the unusually heavy rain in eastern Mindanao was not “particularly extreme”. But with people living in landslide-prone areas and shortcomings in weather alerts, the rains became “devastating”. The report also faulted the country’s weather forecasts and warnings, which “have limited granularity on local risk and lack instructions on where and when to evacuate”. “Evacuations from high-risk locations were carried out when the island was hit by the rainfall in late January.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer March 01, 2024 09:03 UTC