Though weather reports say Typhoon Ondoy has left the country, about 80% of the city was submerged and some areas remained in more than knee-deep water on Monday.
As rescuers pulled bodies from swollen rivers and debris-strewn streets, Ondoy’s death toll rises to 240.
The homes of nearly 1.9 million people in the capital and surrounding areas were inundated by flooding unleashed when Tropical Storm Ketsana tore through the region over the weekend. Nearly 380,000 people have sought shelter in schools, churches and other evacuation centers.
Overwhelmed officials have called for international aid, as two new storms threaten to complicate relief efforts, the former hitting the country this week while the latter next week.
Ondoy dumped more than a month’s worth of rain in just 12 hours, fueling the worst flooding to hit the country in more than 40 years.
Troops, police and volunteers have already rescued more than 12,359 people, but unconfirmed reports of more deaths abound, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro said.
The extent of devastation became clearer Monday as TV networks broadcast images of mud-covered communities, cars upended on city streets and reported huge numbers of villagers without drinking water, food and power. While, in Manila’s suburban Marikina city, a sofa hung from electric wires.