(Image source: MindaNews)

BY STEVEN SPARKMAN

ANCHOR ZACH TOOMBS

A tropical storm has caused devastating flooding in the Philippines. As of Saturday morning, U.S. time, more than 430 people were confirmed dead with nearly 200 still missing. Sky News tells us what happened.

“Pounding rain from a tropical storm swelled rivers and sent walls of water rushing through the southern Philippines while people were asleep. Authorities say tens of thousands of people have fled to higher ground.”

Reports from residents say they woke up to the sound of water filling their homes, and many were unable to react quickly enough. CNN says locals had been warned to evacuate, but since tropical storms rarely flood these areas, the warnings were ignored.

A CNN correspondent explains.

“This part of the Philippines is not used to either flash floods or landslides, which really has caused the most damage and is the cause of the deaths. Tropical storm Sendong dropped more than 10 hours of heavy rain Friday night, and its effects, not the storm itself, actually caused the casualties.”

The hardest hit areas were the port cities on northern Mindanao island. Authorities say whole villages were swept away in flash floods and landslides, and rescue workers reportedly pulled 180 survivors from the open ocean.

Al Jazeera reports, now that the storm has moved on, it’s time for the grim tasks of search and rescue and cleanup.

“The coast guard and volunteer rescuers are searching the sea off the coastal city for survivors. Families are being evacuated into temporary shelters, some carrying whatever valuables they can -- even livestock. As the waist-high waters recede, the damage becomes plain to see, along with the massive cleanup effort ahead.”

The floods hit as the communities were preparing for Christmas, with many residents used to attending church nightly this time of year. The New York Times spoke with a resident who talked about the contrast between the disaster and the season.

“This Christmas is going to be imprinted in everybody’s memories … We are seeing trucks pass by filled with dead bodies, and people are buying in bulk to give away to those who need it. This will be in our minds for a long time.”