Tuesday, August 20th, 2013 — Ferocious rain has caused heavy flooding in the Philippine capital and the surrounding region, killing at least seven people, driving tens of thousands of others from their homes and bringing life in many areas to a standstill. The national weather agency, Pagasa, issued a red alert for the Manila metropolitan area and nearby provinces on Tuesday morning, warning that "severe flooding is expected." The torrential monsoon rains, intensified by a tropical storm out over the ocean, had already caused significant disruption on Monday, forcing the closure of financial markets and government offices not involved in the emergency response.