Typhoon Bopha the strongest to hit the Philippines in a year

The latest typhoon to hit the Philippines is the strongest to hit the island in a year. Typhoon Bopha is said to have killed 40 Philippine residents. Early evacuation efforts are being credited for keeping the death toll low. Agriculture experts expect that recently planted rice and corn crops should not be affected by the typhoon.


From Reuters Alert Net, we get more details on the latest weather emergency. 

About 40 people were killed or missing in flash floods and landslides near a mining area on Mindanao, ABS-CBN television reported, saying waters and soil had swept through an army post.

A television reporter said she saw numerous bodies lined up near the army base. A military spokesman earlier said about 20 people, including six soldiers, were missing.

Disaster official Liza Mazo, said more casualties were expected to be discovered as search and rescue teams fanned out.

Media said dozens of people were injured by flying debris, falling trees and swept away by swollen rivers and flash floods.

But the relatively low death toll was due in part to an early evacuation. More than 155,000 people were in shelters late on Tuesday.

 Farm Minister Proceso Alcala said on Monday he expected minimal damage to rice and corn crops as they had only recently been planted and could be replaced quickly if damaged.