# Trami death toll rises to 126 in the Philippines as flooding and landslides isolate communities

*Event date: 2024-10-26*

Tropical Storm Trami has killed at least 126 people and displaced about 500,000 more in the northern Philippines, UPI reported. The storm brought flooding and landslides that tore through communities on Thursday and Friday, leaving many places isolated and rescue teams racing to reach stranded residents.

The scale of the rainfall was one of the most striking details in the report. UPI said the storm dumped the equivalent of about two months of rain in just 24 hours as it crossed the island nation. That kind of rainfall over such a short period is enough to overwhelm drainage systems, trigger landslides and cut off road access in a country already familiar with major typhoon damage.

Most of the deaths were reported in the Bicol region southeast of Manila. The report said thousands of villagers had been rescued by government and local forces, and about 1,500 police officers had helped with storm mitigation efforts. Even with the storm moving away from the Philippines by the time of the report, many areas remained cut off and the death toll was expected to rise because people were still missing.

The storm was known as Tropical Storm Kristine inside the Philippines and Tropical Storm Trami elsewhere. It had sustained winds of 59 mph and gusts of up to 99 mph while moving across the northern part of the country. UPI also noted that it was the 11th storm to strike the Philippines in the season, which underscores how quickly successive weather systems can compound damage and slow recovery.

There is also a lingering concern about what happens next. The report said a high-pressure system in the South China Sea could force the storm back toward the Philippines, a rare repeat appearance that would only worsen the existing devastation. For the moment, though, the priority is finding missing people, restoring access to isolated communities and helping the hundreds of thousands who were pushed out of their homes.

The scale of the event makes clear that Trami was not just a heavy rainstorm but a mass-casualty disaster with a potentially rising toll. In a country where tropical storms are a recurring threat, the combination of landslides, isolated villages and prolonged search and rescue work is what turns a severe weather event into a national emergency.

The report's repeated warning is that the casualty count may still rise as missing people are found and isolated communities are reached.