Nearly 3,200 residents in the northern Philippines were forced to evacuate as floods inundated the region spurred by heavy monsoon rains, said the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on July 20th.

Evacuees are currently living in 25 local authority centres.

The DSWD has granted 18.5 million PHP (409,000 USD) worth of support for affected households. It has also another fund worth 51.7 million PHP (1.14 million USD) for the purchase of emergency relief supplies when necessary.

Heavy rains are forecast to trigger flash floods and landslides in Ilocos region, central Luzong and Cordillera.

Earlier this month, tropical storm Linfa struck the Philippines, bringing floods to the northern region.

The Philippines is hit by an average of 20 typhoons and storms each year, many of which are deadly./.

VNF/VNA