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CBS News - December 17, 2011
Rescuers paddle their rubber boat to search for survivors following a flash flood that inundated Cagayan de Oro city, Philippines, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Froilan Gallardo)
(AP)
Last Updated 2:37 p.m. ET
MANILA, Philippines - Flash floods devastated a southern Philippines region unaccustomed to serious storms, killing more than 400 people while they slept, rousting hundreds of others to their rooftops and turning two coastal cities into muddy, debris-filled waterways that were strewn Saturday with overturned vehicles and toppled trees.
Most of the victims were asleep Friday night when raging floodwaters cascaded from the mountains after 12 hours of rain from a late-season tropical storm in the southern Mindanao region. The region is unaccustomed to the typhoons that are common elsewhere in the nation of islands.
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At Least 436 Dead After Storm Pummels Philippines
from Maria Ressa - CNN - December 17, 2011
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed her condolences on behalf of the U.S. government and said the United States "stands ready to assist Philippine authorities as they respond to this tragedy."
Manila, Philippines (CNN) -- At least 436 people are dead after Tropical Storm Washi pummeled the Philippines, Red Cross Secretary General Gwen Pang said Saturday.
The vast majority of the bodies were found in the cities of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro, according to military officials and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. Five people were killed in a landslide, but all others died in flash flooding.
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Philippines Storm Kills Hundreds in Mindanao Floods
BBC News - December 17, 2011
An army spokesman said many villagers on the north coast of Mindanao island were swept into the sea after Tropical Storm Washi brought heavy rain.
Iligan and Cagayan de Oro cities have been hard hit, with many victims asleep as the floods swept into their homes.
"Entire villages were swept into the sea by flash floods."
Damage to Mindanao's important agricultural sector is thought to be massive.
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Official Acceptance Letter - Assistance for Philippine Flood
CLICK HERE TO ENLARGE - (1 page .PDF file)