ReliefWeb

Tropical Depression 'Gading' (internationally known as 'Sharon') hit the Metro Manila area and the provinces of Aurora, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac and Zambales, All In Luzon, on Thursday, 23 June 1994. Due to continuous downpour of rain, low lying areas in Metro Manila went underwater. Thousands of people stranded as many roads became impassable. Hundreds of families evacuated to temporary shelter. Office of Civil Defense (OCD) reported 2 casualties in Pampanga. 5,325 families (23,952 persons) in the municipalities and cities of Metro Manila were affected by high level of floodwater. 31 evacuation centres were established and occupied by 12,793 persons. Local government provided relief assistance to evacuees. (UN DHA, 24 Jun 1994)

Gathering strength over water, Sharon deepened into a tropical storm about 380 km south of Dongsha early the next day. It then moved towards the coast of western Guangdong. Sharon made landfall about 140 km east-northeast of Zhanjiang in the morning of 25 June and at the same time weakened to a tropical depression. Sharon claimed four lives in Guangdong. In Yangjiang and Maoming, more than 6700 houses collapsed and 50 000 others were damaged. A total of 120 000 hectares of agricultural land was also affected. (Govt. China-Hong Kong, 17 May 2000)