Myanmar hit hard by flooding as residents seek refuge in a school building: Video
Hundreds of residents in Myanmar's Taungoo town were forced to flee their homes on Thursday, September 12, due to severe flooding triggered by Typhoon Yagi.
Taungoo, located 220 kilometres from the country's largest city, Yangon, experienced what locals have called the 'worst' floods in recent memory, as torrential rains left the entire community submerged.
Displaced residents sought refuge in a local school building after the floodwaters overwhelmed their homes.
A 76-year-old resident while describing the experience told AFP, "Some stuff was left behind. I don’t think about it anymore. We got here to save ourselves. We brought some pots and pans with us. The rest we left on the bar under the roof. I don’t care if it survives the water or not."
The elderly resident emphasised how this flood stands apart from previous events, stating, "It is worse this time. It’s nothing like before. There have been one or two floods before, but this time is the worst. The water came halfway up our house."
Despite the devastation, she disclosed: "I am going straight home the moment the water level drops. When the water reaches up to my waist, I will go home."
The flooding, caused by Typhoon Yagi, has also tipped rivers in Myanmar over their danger levels, severed communication lines, and cut off the railway between Yangon and Mandalay, the former royal capital in northern Myanmar, according to AFP.
Typhoon Yagi, Asia's most powerful storm of the year, wreaked similar havoc in northern Vietnam during the weekend, submerging the city of Thai Nguyen under floodwaters on September 10 and causing deadly landslides across the region.
