Floods strike thousands of houses in northern Philippines

Manila: Floodwaters reaching more than four meters high swamped thousands of houses in the storm-battered northern Philippines on Tuesday after rivers overflowed following heavy rain and a dam release. Typhoon Man-yi drenched swaths of the Philippines over the weekend, swelling the Cagayan river and tributaries, and forcing the release of water from Magat Dam. The Cagayan broke its banks, spilling water over already sodden farmland and communities, affecting tens of thousands of people.