At least 73 people have been killed and more than 330,000 displaced after the heaviest rain in more than four decades caused severe flooding in the Philippines.
The nine-hour deluge across the capital, Manila, yesterday submerged houses, forcing terrified residents to seek refuge on top of homes or cars where they waited for more than 24 hours.
'I am calling on our countrymen... to please stay calm,' President Gloria Arroyo said, as she set a deadline of tonight for the military and other rescuers to save those who remained stranded.
The downpour from tropical storm Ketsana left some areas of Manila under six metres of water, and the storm's ferocity shocked a country that is accustomed to typhoons.
'This is the worst that I have seen,' Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said of the extensive flooding that also severely damaged other parts of the northern Philippines.
President Arroyo said more rain had fallen on Manila and surrounding areas than on New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina devastated the US city in 2005.
Ketsana's confirmed death toll was 73, with 23 others still missing, Mr Teodoro said today.
He added that more than 337,000 people in Manila and five outlying provinces were displaced, with nearly 60,000 people staying in evacuation centres.
And even though the rain eased on today, rescuers said they feared the death toll would rise because receding flood waters could expose more bodies.
The frantic rescue efforts saw military helicopters and rubber boats fan out across the city of 12m to pluck people off houses and car roofs.
The US military contributed a helicopter and six boats to the rescue operation.
