Calumpit, Philippines: The Philippines deployed helicopters, inflatable boats and amphibious vehicles on Sunday in a desperate bid to evacuate tens of thousands in the aftermath of successive monster storms.
But rescuers and officials said it was close to impossible to pluck everyone to safety, with many refusing appeals to abandon their inundated homes despite warnings that flood waters may continue to rise.
"We cannot evacuate them all. There are so many of them. That is impossible," said James de Jesus, mayor of Calumpit town where many residents were caught off-guard by the rising water.
"We are calling for help from the armed forces to drop food and water to the thousands still on the roofs or second floor of their homes."
Nalgae blew out of the Philippines on Saturday after a six-hour rampage across the country's main island Luzon, bringing fresh troubles for more than a million people still affected by Typhoon Nesat, which struck five days earlier.
Nalgae soaked the Cordillera mountain range, and water cascading from the slopes was expected to further swell tributaries and rivers in the flood-prone central Luzon plains, including Calumpit, before draining into Manila Bay.
Office of Civil Defense administrator Benito Ramos, who visited the area on Sunday, said many residents refused calls to be rescued from their homes despite repeated warnings they were putting themselves in harm's way.
Volunteers on rubber boats went from one flooded home to another to hand over relief items, including dry clothes and instant noodles.
"This is the first time in my entire life that I have seen our town submerged in such a flood," retired government employee Josefina Barleta, 69, told AFP. "The water began rising last week, and we were not able to save anything except the clothes on our backs and a cooking stove."
