Swollen river in metro Manila after typhoon

A typhoon began battering northeastern Philippine provinces on Wednesday leaving at least one person dead and three missing in a region still struggling to recover from a powerful storm that left a trail of death and destruction just over a week ago. Typhoon Vamco strengthened with sustained winds of 140 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 195 kph as it approached the Polillo islands in Quezon province Wednesday night.

Disaster-response officials reported flooding in 32 towns near the country’s northeastern coast and a few landslides in the agricultural region. More than 187,000 villagers fled to safety Wednesday, about half of them taking shelter mostly in government-run evacuation centers, according to the Office of Civil Defense. The Philippines is hit by about 20 typhoons and storms each year.