Notes

Typhoon Olga killed as many as 109 persons in the Philippines. Manila, Pampanga, Rizal, and Pangasinan were the hardest hit. Following the typhoon's arrival last month, almost 73,000 people were forced to flee their homes. A small housing neighborhood in Antipolo, a Manila district, was home to the bulk of the victims. Residents were advised to vacate the area four hours before to the landslide by local authorities. Due to a lack of equipment, emergency responders in the Philippines had to utilize backhoes to move concrete slabs and other debris in order to reach those trapped beneath debris from the collapsed Cherry Hills housing project. The official death toll from Cherry Hills has risen to 60 people, with many more bodies still missing. Philjas, the Japanese-Filipino partnership that constructed Cherry Hills, has been the subject of preliminary investigation. Imprudence, resulting in many homicides, is one charge that might be brought against the company. The estate was developed in a region prone for landslides, with trenches dug to divert roll.. An expert told the Inquirer newspaper that the Cherry Hills suburb in Antipolo, Philippines, was built atop a former lake bed. Extra engineering interventions should have been explored, according to geologist Joel Muyco, to handle the dangers involved. This is a valuable lesson for everyone. He believes they might have avoided developing the land for a development. The estate was developed in 1991, but the Environment Department finally approved it in 1994 owing to repeated infractions of rules, according to the report. Twenty-three officials have been placed on a six-month preventive suspension while prosecutors investigate their involvement and potential criminal accusations of "graft and conspiracy." The Cherry Hills Homeowners Association and environmental groups had organized demonstrations, petitions, and letters to the government prior to Typhoon Olga, warning of the estate's vulnerability. They specifically mentioned the consequences of the over on mountain ranges in the Antipolo Rodriguez and San Mateo areas, as well as rainforest deforestation near the Cherry Hills neighborhood.