Rescuers run as waves crash on the walkway as they check on residents in a seafront slum in Manila
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said the evacuation of residents ahead of the storm probably helped save lives [Aaron Favila/AP Photo]

The Philippines has begun cleaning up after Typhoon Noru swept across the northern part of the country, leaving at least five rescuers dead, floods and power cuts but leaving the capital relatively unscathed.  

Manila, September 27 (RHC)-- The Philippines has begun cleaning up after Typhoon Noru swept across the northern part of the country, leaving at least five rescuers dead, floods and power cuts but leaving the capital relatively unscathed.  Noru, with sustained winds of 185 kilometres (115 miles) per hour, was the most powerful typhoon to hit the Southeast Asian nation this year.

Governor Daniel Fernando of Bulacan province, north of Manila, said five rescuers, who were using a boat to help residents trapped in floodwaters, were hit by a collapsed wall and then apparently drowned in the rampaging waters.  “They were living heroes who were helping save the lives of our countrymen amid this calamity,” Fernando told the DZMM radio network. “This is really very sad.”

On Polillo island in northeastern Quezon province, a man was injured after falling off the roof of his house, officials said.

More than 17,000 people were moved to emergency shelters from high-risk communities prone to tidal surges, flooding and landslides in Quezon alone, officials said.  In Metropolitan Manila, more than 3,000 people were evacuated to safety.

The entire northern provinces of Aurora and Nueva Ecija, which were hit by the typhoon, remained without power on Monday as providers worked to restore electricity supplies.  In a televised meeting called to assess the damage and coordinate disaster response, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr ordered supplies to be airlifted to the most badly affected areas, along with clean-up equipment.