Updated: August 19, 2013, 12:00 AM
In pictures: Manila on red alert after heavy floods
epa03830352 Filipinos walk on a wooden plank over floodwaters in Manila, Philippines 19 August 2013. The Philippines' weather bureau continues to track tropical storm Trami which has been estimated at 550 kilometers east of Batanes province in the northern Philippines, with maximum winds of 75 kilometers per hour. Metro Manila experienced flashfloods from heavy rains due to a southwest monsoon being enhanced by Trami, local media reports stated. EPA/ROLEX DELA PENA
Weather forecasters also said more rain was expected to hit Manila in the early evening, while farming towns and mountainous areas reaching hundreds of kilometres to the north on the main island of Luzon were enduring heavier storms. Francis R Malasig / E??
Filipinos wade along a flooded street in Las Pinas. Francis R Malasig / EPA
Thousands of people were believed to be sheltering in evacuation centres or trapped on rooftops while waiting for the water to subside. Aaron Favila / AP Photo
Filipinos struggle to cross strong currents as floodwaters rise at a residential area in Las Pinas, south of Manila today. Aaron Favila / AP Photo
Roads from Cavite and other southern areas into the city were impassable, while some motorists who tried to get through the flooded streets were forced to abandon their cars. Aaron Favila / AP Photo
By early afternoon, the rain had eased and the red alert was lowered for the capital. Aaron Favila / AP Photo
The South-east Asian archipelago endures about 20 major storms or typhoons annually, generally in the second half of the year and many of them are deadly. Romeo Ranoco / Reuters
In August last year, 51 people died and two million others were affected when more than a month’s worth of rain was dumped in and around Manila in 48 hours. Romeo Ranoco / Reuters