Another devastating typhoon, Tropical Storm Washi, pummeled the Philippines Saturday. The Red Cross reported at least 652 Filipinos dead and hundreds injured.

Washi hit Northern Mindanao, an area that is not used to hurricanes and swarming rivers. People were sleeping when the cyclone started to dump 181 mm rain per hour compared with the usual 25 mm rain per hour in the area. "The local government wasn't able to accomplish preventative evacuations even upon hearing cautions of flood and landslides," said Benito Ramos, a Civil Defense administrator.

"The death toll is rising very fast," said Philippine Red Cross Secretary-General Gwen Pang.

Pang said the typhoon carried an extremely strong current that had caused high tides and overflowing rivers. More than 800 people were counted as missing. The disaster management agency reported approximately 4,400 houses damaged.

"Cagayan de Oro, the place that suffered the most destruction, demands filtered water since floods ruined pipes," said Mayor Eugenion Osias.

The Social Works Department prepared 68 million pesos worth of supplies for storm-devastated areas. Supplies will be distributed to affected families. Edwin Lacierda, a presidential spokesman, stated that a military aircraft was prepared to deliver roughly 1,500 bottles of drinking water. Cruz added that evacuation centers need transportable toilets.

Funeral parlors declined to embalm dead bodies in early phases of decomposition. The city has thought of digging shallow graves and burying discovered dead bodies temporarily to prevent disease outbreaks. The local government will provide improvised coffins with the help of the military.