MANILA, Philippines?A country prone to natural disasters, the Philippines has been battered by floods for long as its people can remember.

Below are some of the most devastating floods to hit the country in memory:

For more than two weeks in September 1972, heavy rains pummeled Luzon before then President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law. Floodwaters merged with the Pampanga and Agno rivers and submerged most of Central Luzon. This became known as the Great Flood of 1972.

On Nov. 5, 1991, massive flash floods descended on Ormoc City in Leyte, killing about 8,000 people, including some 4,000 who were never found as walls of mud and water roared down the mountains, washing away shanties and sweeping people into the sea.

In September 1998, more than 900 families living along the Pasig, Pateros, Marikina and Napindan (Taguig) rivers were swamped by floods after continuous rains.

The floods and high tides submerged 85 percent of Malabon and flooded 26 primary and secondary roads in Metro Manila.

Reming and Frank

In November 2006, Supertyphoon ?Reming? (international code name: Durian) caused widespread floods and power outages, especially in Bicol. More than 700 were killed, over 700 others were missing and more than 2,000 were injured. Over 3.5 million people were affected.

At least 500 people died in the wake of Typhoon ?Frank? (international code name: Fengshen), which triggered severe flooding in Western Visayas in June 2008. Nearly 400,000 families, or almost 2 million people, were affected.

At least 2,500 others were injured. More than 300,000 people, or over 50,000 families, were evacuated.

The areas affected by Frank included Iloilo, Antique, Aklan, Capiz, Guimaras and Negros Occidental. Aklan?s capital town of Kalibo was covered with mud and was without potable water and electricity weeks after the typhoon struck.

In January, heavy rains spawned by the tail-end of a cold front caused floods, landslides and tidal surges that displaced nearly 200,000 people in many parts of the country. Thirty-eight municipalities and 11 provinces from northern Luzon to Mindanao were affected. Inquirer Research Sources: Inquirer Archives