MANILA, 14 July 2006 — Tropical storm “Florita” strengthened into a typhoon as it blew out of the country yesterday, leaving at least 10 people dead and causing widespread destruction in the northern Philippines, rescue officials said.

Reports from field offices to the National Disaster Coordinating Center (NDCC) in Manila said nearly 23,000 people were forced to leave their homes in villages affected by floods on Wednesday and yesterday.

A number of towns in the mountainous provinces of the Cordillera were reported isolated by landslides. A preliminary estimated placed the damage to roads and bridges in Baguio City and the provinces of Benguet, Mountain Province and Ilocos Norte at around 28,745,000 pesos (about $450,000).

Officials have warned that the Binga and Ambuklao dams in Benguet might have to to release water anytime as water levels were nearing the spilling level. Binga and Ambuklao are located along the Agno River, which spills into heavily populated Pangasinan province.

Emergency workers from the Department of Public Works and Highways, however, managed to keep roads going to the Baguio mountain resort open yesterday, officials said. Only Halsema Highway, the road linking Baguio to Bontoc in the Mountai province remained closed.

As of 2 p.m. yesterday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) estimated Florita’s center at 360 kilometers north northeast of Basco, Batanes with maximum sustained winds of 110 kilometers per hour and gustiness of up to 140 kph.

Even as it moved away yesterday, heavy rains and gusty winds prevailed in the northern Philippines and many low-lying places, including suburbs of metropolitan Manila, were flooded.

Classes also remained suspended in the northern regions until yesterday.

The NDCC identified the fatalities as Juanita Tagata, 61, of Sarrat, Ilocos Norte; Teresita Villegas, 42, and her children, Gilbert, 4, and three-year old twins Jose Enrique and Jose Alberto, of Olongapo; Perfecto Gaerlan, 54, of Baguio; Eduardo Tinedero, 53, of Tanay, Rizal; Edgar Bansit, 32, and Jonathan Enese, 23, of Lubao, Pampanga; and 10-year old Ariel Prensillo of Commonwealth village in Quezon City.

Bansit and Enese were struck by lighting in Remedios village, Lubao, Pampanga on Wednesday. Villegas and her children were killed by a fallen tree. The rest either drowned in floods or were killed by landslides.

At least 10 landslides were reported in Mountain Province and Benguet.

Osios Balbawang Jr., 4, and Gracel Benito, 7, both of Baguio City, remain missing after they were carried away by floodwaters. Also reported missing was Rosita Dumlao, 56, of Solsona town in Cagayan.

NDCC figures showed La Union province had the most number of displaced persons, with 13,830; followed by Benguet with 7,866, Ilocos Norte (866) and Ilocos Sur (200). (With input from agencies)