Tropical storm Bualoi hits the Philippines, causing four deaths and new evacuations

A tropical storm named Bualoi struck the Philippines on Friday, causing at least four deaths and forcing tens of thousands of residents to evacuate from landslide- and flood-prone communities long battered by typhoons. The storm weakened after making landfall overnight, and it followed back-to-back Pacific storms that threatened much of Southeast Asia, including Typhoon Ragasa, which earlier caused dozens of deaths in the region before dissipating over China and Vietnam.

Bualoi made landfall in the town of San Policarpo in Eastern Samar late Thursday with sustained winds of 110 kph (68 mph), knocking out power in towns and villages and setting off flooding and two minor landslides, the country’s disaster-mitigation agency said in a news conference. More than 73,000 people from Eastern Samar and Northern Samar provinces went to government emergency shelters as the storm approached.

The four deaths were reported in Masbate province, where three people were killed by a falling tree, a collapsed wall, and falling debris, and a fourth person was killed by lightning Thursday night, officials said. Masbate Gov. Ricardo Kho told reporters that clearing operations were needed because most roads were not passable for food and health assistance, and that reopening ports would be crucial to receive help from other provinces.

Bualoi, locally named Opong, was the 15th tropical cyclone to hit the Philippines this year. The fast-moving storm has a rain and wind band roughly 450 kilometers (280 miles) from its center, was blowing northwest, and could pass over densely populated coastal provinces south of Manila later Friday before entering the South China Sea. Forecasters said it could restrengthen to a typhoon on a course toward Vietnam.

The storms arrive at a sensitive moment in the Philippines, where multiple investigations have implicated lawmakers, including allies of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in a corruption scandal involving flood control and related infrastructure projects. Allegations of massive kickbacks that have financed lavish lifestyles for those involved have sparked public outrage and protests in a country prone to deadly floods and typhoons.