Gap year warning after 'state of calamity' called following floods

The Philippine government has declared a state of calamity after Manila and 25 other provinces were hit by flooding.

Head of National Disaster Co-ordinating Council Anthony Golez said that resources were being spread too thinly with estimates suggesting that more than 140 people have been killed.

He added: "We are concentrating on massive relief operations. The system is overwhelmed, local government units are overwhelmed. We were used to helping one city, one or two provinces but now they are following one after another."

BBC correspondent Alastair Leithead, who is currently in Manila, said that shops and businesses on ground floors have been destroyed, while people are trying to gather up as much food and water as they can as more rain is forecast.

Richard Oliver, chief executive of Year Out Group, said that events such as this highlight the importance of keeping in touch with people back home.

He added that gap year students should consider taking a roam-enable mobile phone on their travels, while a travel itinerary should be left with family and friends.

( Last Updated: 2009-09-28 16:02:11)