One more fatality was reported due to the combined effects of Tropical Cyclone “Hanna” and the former typhoon “Goring” enhancing the southwest monsoon (habagat), the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) bared Sunday, Sept. 3.

This brought the total number of reported fatalities to two, NDRRMC deputy spokesperson Diego Agustin Mariano said.

The latest fatality was reported in Benguet in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR). The NDRRMC continues to validate the report.

“No details on the incident reported yet,” Mariano said.

The other fatality was previously reported in Western Visayas (Region 6) and validation was ongoing as well.

One person remained missing in Region 6 while another individual was injured in Central Luzon (Region 3).

NDRRMC spokesperson Edgar Posadas confirmed that there were seven regions that were most affected by the three weather systems. These were Ilocos Region (Region 1), Cagayan Valley (Region 2), Region 3, Calabarzon (Region 4A), Mimaropa (Region 4B), Region 6, and CAR.

A total of 114,724 families composed of 418,192 individuals have been affected by the combined effects of the three weather systems in the seven regions as well as National Capital Region (NCR).

Of this, there were 5,125 families or 21,712 individuals that were staying in 272 evacuation centers.

The two typhoons also damaged 501 houses: 96 were totally destroyed while 405 others were partially damaged.

Damage to agriculture was pegged at P421 million in Regions 2, 3, 4B, 6, and CAR while infrastructure loss reached P130 million in Regions 2, 4B, 6, and CAR.

“We expect this to further change as data come in from our regional offices,” Posadas said in a Teleradyo radio interview.

A state of calamity was also declared in two areas due to severe flooding and these were in Pototan, Iloilo and Sibalom, Antique.

“We expect that this will further increase as we have heard some more LGUs [local government units] contemplating on declaring [state of calamity. They were just satisfying the parameters so they can declare a state of calamity,” Posadas noted.

The national government has extended relief assistance amounting to P20.9 million to the affected individuals.

“We will start having improved weather by Wednesday so this [bad weather] will continue from Monday to Tuesday,” Posadas shared.

Source:
courtesy of MANILA BULLETIN

by MARTIN SADONGDONG

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