The death toll in the tropical storm that struck the Philippines has risen above 1,000, according to a government official. Benito Ramos, head of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said the number of the dead had reached 1,002. One day prior, President Benigno Aquino declared a state of national calamity
The Philippines were struck over the weekend by Tropical Storm Washi, known locally as Sendong. The storm left tens of thousands of people homeless, and a growing humanitarian crisis for the government to juggle. Entire villages were swept away by flash flooding, and the Red Cross says hundreds remain unaccounted for.
