The President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., has declared a state of emergency today, following typhoon Gaemi, which has left at least 241 dead and missing in central provinces, marking the worst natural disaster to hit the country this year. Authorities reported that the typhoon caused at least 114 deaths, most of whom drowned in sudden floods, while 127 others remain missing, many in the hardest-hit province of Cebu, before the typhoon left the Philippine archipelago on Wednesday, heading into the South China Sea. The government stated that the typhoon affected about two million people, displacing more than 560,000 rural residents, including around 450,000 who were evacuated to temporary shelters. The state of emergency was declared during a meeting between President Marcos and disaster management officials to assess the typhoon's impact. The decision is expected to allow the government to quickly release emergency funds and prevent hoarding and price gouging of essential goods.
