24 October, 1998
TODAY IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY:
Typhoon Babs (locally named “Loleng”) raced toward southern China, leaving behind a trail of destruction on the Philippines’ main island, where more than 110 died and hundreds of thousands were forced to flee their homes.
Philippines President Joseph Estrada declared a state of calamity in three provinces and a city in the worst-hit area on the southern tip of Luzon. Of the 110 deaths confirmed early Saturday, 62 were attributed to landslides on Catanduanes Island, where Babs first landed Thursday. In Pampanga province, north of the capital, 35 villages, were submerged, one official was quoted as saying.
(Ref: Chicago Tribune Oct 24, 1998)
