The number of families affected by the combined effects of the shear line and Tropical Storm Kabayan climbed to 25,489, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said on Tuesday.
These families are equivalent to 86,321 persons residing in 217 barangays in Northern Mindanao, Davao Region and Caraga, the agency said in its latest disaster bulletin.
This is significantly higher than Monday’s figure of 2,190 families.
About 390 evacuation centers were activated, with 19,601 families or 67,105 persons being aided inside and another 4,891 families or 15,598 persons being helped outside.
The Office of Civil Defense earlier said the affected families include those displaced and those not who don’t need to be evacuated.
Some 53 houses were damaged in Northern Mindanao, Davao Region and Caraga.
No deaths are reported but the NDRRMC said it is validating one injured in Northern Mindanao and one missing in Davao Region.
Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said the area of standing crops affected by the former Tropical Depression Kabayan has reached 625,963 hectares.
Kabayan, now a low pressure area, damaged 424,673 hectares for rice and 201,290 hectares for corn, based on the combined data of affected regions 4-B, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 as of Dec. 18, the DA said.
No immediate data on the damage cost was available.
Surigao del Sur Gov. Alexander Pimentel said Kabayan left no fatalities in the province, which was still coming to grips with the damage from a magnitude 7.4 earthquake this month.
Pimentel said 20,000 families who were evacuated ahead of the storm were ready to go home after the government gave the all-clear.
The governor said classes in Surigao del Sur will resume next year to give way to repair work on damaged schools.
Also on Tuesday, a lawmaker from the Bicol Region hailed President Marcos for his commitment to advance the country’s dedication to climate justice on the international stage.
“The Marcos administration deserves credit for consistently championing the cause of climate justice in Dubai and other forums on the global stage like COP27 (United Nations Climate Change Conference), on behalf of developing economies such as the Philippines,” Villafuerte said in a statement. Maricel V. Cruz
While developing countries contribute little to global warming, Villafuerte said they often take the brunt of the catastrophic weather changes resulting from the large-scale greenhouse gas emissions of the world’s most affluent countries that are said to be its biggest carbon polluters.
At the same time, Villafuerte supported the proposal of President Marcos to immediately implement the “loss and damage” (L&D) fund for developing economies and island nations reeling from the devastating impact of global warming.