Dozens killed as heavy rains lash Philippines

Bloomberg

Dozens were killed as heavy rains flooded central and southern Philippines during the Christmas holidays with nearly 400,000 people displaced even without a typhoon.
Twenty-five were confirmed dead, mostly in the northern part of Mindanao island, the disaster management council said. Nine others were injured while 26 remain missing, it said.
Hundreds of areas were flooded during the Christmas holidays from rains caused by what the weather agency called a shear line or the point where cold and warm air meet. Some areas were submerged in thigh-deep waters, and some houses made with light materials were damaged by heavy rains. Initial damage to farm output has been estimated at nearly 66 million pesos ($1.2 million), the disaster management council said.
The shear line’s effect has weakened, but a potential
typhoon was spotted near southeastern Philippines, the weather agency said.
About 20 cyclones pass through the Southeast Asian nation each year, causing fatalities and damage to agriculture, homes and infrastructure.