THE PHILIPPINES: Massive cleanup begins after deadly typhoon

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Emergency workers and residents in the northern Philippines scrambled Wednesday to reach stranded villagers and repair damage from a deadly typhoon, as forecasters warned that another tropical storm was headed for the main island.

Typhoon Nesat, known locally as Pedring, brought massive flooding, high winds and landslides that killed at least 21 people before heading back out to sea early Wednesday toward southern China, according to news reports. (See photos of the devastation.)

At least 35 people were missing, scores were stranded and tens of thousands remained in evacuation centers in the capital, Manila, and low-lying parts of Luzon island, the country’s disaster agency said.

“Many people here are still on top of their houses. We don’t have enough boats to reach them and hand them food,” Mayor Santiago Austria of the rice-farming town of Jaen in Nueva Ecija province told the Associated Press.

As floodwaters started to recede in most areas, forecasters said another storm was brewing in the Pacific and was expected to pick up strength as it approached Luzon.

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-- Alexandra Zavis in Los Angeles