Typhoon Wipha has killed five people, left seven missing, and affected more than 800,000 people across the Philippines, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said on Monday.

The sixth typhoon of the year formed over waters east of the Philippines on 18 July and brushed past the country’s northern seas later that night. Although it did not make landfall, Wipha enhanced the southwest monsoon, dumping heavy rain that triggered widespread flooding.

In the capital region, the Marikina River – a key flood indicator – surged to 15 metres early Sunday, briefly prompting a Level 1 flood alert before returning to its normal level of around 13 metres.

“Yesterday, the evacuation area from all schools and Barangay here in Marikina already has been settled. There was a feeding programme, every person that was near the Marikina river has already evacuated from there for their safety purposes,” said Railey Rivas, a local resident.

Floodwaters have affected more than 100 roads and bridges nationwide, while power supply was disrupted in parts of 115 cities, according to NDRRMC data. 

More than 1,200 houses and 44 pieces of infrastructure sustained varying degrees of damage.

The Philippines, located in the western Pacific typhoon belt, is hit by an average of 20 typhoons or tropical storms each year.

Wipha also later brushed past Hong Kong on Sunday, felling trees and scaffolding, grounding flights and sending nearly 280 people into shelters.

Storms drenched southern parts of the Chinese mainland on Monday, triggering flash flood and landslide warnings after the typhoon made landfall in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, on Sunday evening. 

Heavy rain lashed the cities of Yangjiang, Zhanjiang, and Maoming.

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