MANILA, Philippines—(UPDATE 7) Tropical cyclone “Santi” (international codename: Mirinae) has left the Philippines after leaving 1.6 million households without power, stranding thousands of commuters, and worsening floods in areas still struggling to recover from recent deadly storms.

Santi, which weakened into a storm as it headed toward the South China Sea, caused “minimal casualties,” the National Disaster Coordinating Council said Saturday afternoon.

But at least 11 persons were reported killed while seven others were missing when the storm pounded the Bicol and Calabarzon regions before swiftly passing through the metropolis.

As of 4:00 p.m. Saturday, Santi was spotted 230 kilometers west southwest of Metro Manila with maximum sustained winds of 105 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 135 kilometers per hour. It was continuing on a westward track at 20 kilometers per hour.

Santi was forecast to be 670 kilometers west northwest of Metro Manila by Sunday afternoon. Pagasa Deputy Director Nathaniel Cruz said the storm was expected to leave the Philippines’ area of responsibility by 2:00 pm on Sunday

More than 115,000 people had been evacuated from vulnerable areas before the typhoon hit, which likely prevented more deaths, NDCC spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ernesto Torres said.

One man was found dead and his one-year-old baby was missing after they were washed away while trying to cross an overflowing creek in a rural area on the outskirts of Manila, the military said.

Another man was missing from a Manila slum district after his hut was washed away, said Torres.

Torres said the minimal casualties “may be attributed to the preparedness of local disaster coordinating councils with the support of individual residents.”

About 1.6 million households or 35 percent of the 4.6 million registered customers of the Manila Electric Co. were left without power after Santi unleashed powerful winds that toppled trees and electric posts.

"Felled trees, downed poles and wires, damaged electrical equipment and other debris that hit our facilities were the reasons behind the outages," said Meralco external communication manager Joe Zaldarriaga.

The power distribution utility said it was conducting power restoration work in affected areas, after Santi hit Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon Friday evening and early Saturday.

But for Pagasa Deputy Director Nathaniel Cruz, “The war is over.” At a press briefing Saturday morning, he added: “The part of Santi in our lives is finished.”

Cruz said the weather bureau was expecting improved weather conditions for Saturday and Sunday in areas passed by the typhoon, including the Bicol region, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Metro Manila.

“People who still want to go to cemeteries can still do so on Sunday,” he said, adding any rainshowers in Luzon will not be due to the typhoon.

But Cruz warned of possible big waves churned up by Santi in the western seaboard of southern Luzon particularly in the waters of Palawan, Mindoro and Batangas.

Gale-force winds of at least 65 kilometers per hour would still affect Northern and Central Luzon as a result of the surge of the northeast monsoon, the cold air from the northern hemisphere that blows into the country from the end of October to January

Santi was forecast to move westward at 20 kph and would be about 650 kilometers west southwest of Manila or over the South China Sea by Sunday afternoon, Pagasa said.

Storm signal over Lubang island was lowered to signal number 2 while Bataan, Metro Manila, Cavite, Batangas, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro and the Calamian group of Islands remained under signal number 1.

Storm signals elsewhere have been lowered, Cruz said.

Santi was the third major storm to hit the Philippines main island of Luzon in just five weeks, with the previous two claiming more than 1,100 lives.

Tropical Storm Ondoy (international codename: Ketsana), which struck on September 26, caused massive flooding in Manila and outlying districts populated by more than a million people were expected to be remain flooded into the New Year even before Mirinae hit.

One person was rescued after a bridge in Batangas City just south of Manila was destroyed by a swollen river, taking at least one car with it, local officials said. Two of the vehicle’s three passengers—father and son—were reported missing by radio dzMM.

Electricity supplies were also interrupted in parts of Manila and in surrounding areas as the storm toppled power lines and trees, rendering some roads impassable, Torres said.

All international and local flights to and from Manila were cancelled, said airport general manager Alfonso Cusi. He said he hoped flights would resume once the storm had passed.

Ferries, a popular form of transport in the Southeast Asian archipelago, were also cancelled, ruining travel plans for many who were hoping to head to their hometowns for the All Saints' Day long-weekend public holiday.

Cruz said the weather bureau received reports of power failure, floods and landslides in some parts of Southern Luzon and the Bicol Region.

Pagasa also recorded 350 millimeters of rainfall on Alabat Island in Quezon from 8:00 a.m. Friday to 8:00 a.m. Saturday. In Tanay, the agency recorded 157 millimeters for the same period.

Winds of up to 105 kilometers per hour were also recorded in the vicinity of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport while winds of 125 kilometers per hour were recorded in Sangley Point in Cavite.

The floodgates of the Ipo Dam in Bulacan and the Pantabangan Dam in Nueva Ecija were shut early Saturday morning. The Ambuklao Dam in Benguet had four gates open but was letting out only 22 cubic meters of water per second.

In Laguna province to the south of Manila that was one of the worst affected by Ondoy, people were again forced onto their rooftops on Saturday to escape floodwaters.

"We need help because the waters have risen. We need rubber boats and choppers," the mayor of Santa Cruz town, Ariel Magcalas, said in a radio interview. "Some people are on the roofs of their houses."

Navy and coast guard boats had been sent to the town to rescue people, according to Torres, who said Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro was heading to the area to check on the extent of flooding and damage.

The highway to the town was covered by knee-high waters, preventing smaller vehicles from reaching it, according to an Agence France-Presse photographer.

Hundreds of residents in these areas were seen continuing to go about their daily chores, wading through the stagnant waters.

Other towns in Laguna reported flooding along with areas in the Bicol region further to the south, Torres said.

Cruz said the flooding could have been caused by heavy rainfall from Santi that further raised the water level at Laguna de Bay. The level at the Laguna Lake was already high as a result of the rainfall brought by Ondoy a month ago.

On the status of the dams, Cruz said only the Ambuklao Dam in Benguet has open gates releasing 23 cubic meters of water per second.

Cruz stressed that the Caliraya Dam in Laguna was not opened in the last 12 hours.

“Now that Typhoon Santi is gone, we can now focus on the more daunting task of rehabilitation," he said. With reports from Erika Sauler, Amy R. Remo Marlon Ramos, Inquirer; Agence France-Presse