Boats bring food, safe passage for Philippine flood victims

AFP :

Rescuers in the northern Philippines picked up residents stranded by flooding and delivered supplies by boat Friday, as Typhoon Co-May was downgraded to a tropical storm hours after making landfall.
Schools remained closed and electricity was down in swathes of the archipelago nation’s biggest island after days of monsoon rains that have killed 25 and left eight missing across the country, according to the natural disaster agency.
In the west coast province of La Union, where Co-May arrived in the early hours, a family of four was rescued after being trapped on the second floor of their wooden home.
“They couldn’t leave their house because the flood was waist-deep and they have children,” said a rescue official who asked not to be named as they were not authorised to speak to media.
“Many had been calling us since early morning, but we were having challenges in responding because the rain and winds were so strong,” they said, adding that a break in the downpour meant rescue operations were now in full stride.