Flooded place in Balintawak, North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) Metro Manila August 7, 2012. Monsoon rains swamped the Philippine capital and nearby provinces, forcing the government to close schools, public and private offices and financial markets, as emergency workers rushed to move thousands of people to higher grounds.

Weeks of non-stop torrential rains have killed 51 people across the Philippines and forced thousands of residents to flee their homes on Tuesday (August 7). The heavy floods covered half of the Philippine capital Manila and pounded the nearby provinces. Water levels reached over some residents' head in several districts. The flooding crippled traffic, shut down the stock market, and prompted schools and government offices to close. Welfare department said over 20,000 affected people across Manila and nearby provinces are staying in evacuation shelters, which are converted by schools and sports gyms. The floods raised fears of a disaster on the scale of Typhoon Ketsana in 2009, when 80 percent of Manila was flooded, and more than 700 people were killed.