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Friday, March 29, 2024

Death toll in X’mas floods climb to 17, with 20 still missing

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The death toll from intense rains and flooding that hit the country on Christmas weekend rose to 17 on Tuesday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said.

Agricultural damage reached P62.69 million, affecting Bicol Region and Northern Mindanao. Meanwhile, damage to infrastructure rose to P20.5 million.

Of the total fatalities, nine were in Region 10, five in Region 5, two in Region 8 and one in Region 9.

Only 2 deaths, however, have been validated, the NDRRMC said, while the rest are still under investigation.

A total of 48,358 families or 186,459 individuals were displaced by the rains and flooding.

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Of the number, 10,873 families composed of 46,479 individuals were living temporarily in evacuation centers.

About 23 people were also reported missing: 12 in Region 8, eight in Region 5, and three in Region 10. Most of them were fishermen who failed to return to their homes after venturing into the sea amid the bad weather, the Office of Civil Defense said in an earlier report.

Also, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Tuesday said the agency remains in close contact with the victims of massive flooding caused by the shear line and northeast monsoon.

A shear line is an area in the atmosphere where warm and cold winds meet, causing rain clouds to form.

According to the information released by the Social Marketing Service (SMS) of the DSWD, the agency continues to provide assistance to families and individuals affected by the flood in Eastern Visayas (Region 8), Zamboanga Peninsula (Region 9), and Caraga Region.

In Tuesday’s emergency meeting, all concerned DSWD field offices shared updates on their disaster response operations, including the provision of family food packs and non-food items, as well as the status of prepositioning relief goods in different localities.

As of Dec. 26, more than P3.2 million worth of humanitarian assistance has been provided by the DSWD to Regions 8, 9, and Caraga.

Meanwhile, the office of Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio has distributed relief assistance to families in flood-affected areas in Zamboanga City following heavy rains due to the Christmas weekend shear line.

In a statement on Tuesday, the OVP-Disaster Operations Center (DOC) said it reached affected families in remote areas Sunday night.

Mariano said most of the fatalities were recorded in Misamis Occidental in Northern Mindanao (Region 10) with seven; three people in Bicol Region (Region 5); two in Eastern Visayas (Region 8); and one in Zamboanga Peninsula (Region 9).

Of the seven new deaths, two were logged in Oroquieta, Misamis Occidental, identified as Elenita Calamian, 43, and Mario Sambiog, 70. The causes of their deaths have yet to be validated, the OCD said.

In Virac, Catanduanes, Ariel Araojo, 43, drowned, with his body found only on Monday in Rapu-Rapu, Albay.

In San Roque, Northern Samar, Jimmy Adante, 47, who had been reported missing, was confirmed to have drowned, the same as Pablo Cerbito, 43.

A certain Concepcion Carpio also drowned in Zamboanga City, with her body found in Brgy. Zambowood.

Laurence Cajelo, 18, also died in Gingoog, Misamis Oriental but the cause of his death was still undergoing validation.

Mariano said search and rescue (SAR) operations for the missing persons were being conducted by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), and concerned local government units (LGUs).

In Misamis Occidental, one of the most affected provinces, Gov. Henry Oaminal said rescue workers have been conducting SAR operations non-stop since Dec. 24. But the province was still experiencing light rains, making the search operations difficult.

“The rains started on Dec. 24 and intensified at midnight of Dec. 25,” Oaminal said in an interview over dzMM.

“We did not expect, we were not able to have that preparedness in terms of rescue because the what was included in the orange rainfall warning of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) for that day were only the provinces of Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga del Norte. Misamis Occidental was not included,” the governor added.

Nonetheless, Oaminal said the provincial government was doing its best to reach isolated areas such as the hinterland barangay of Tudela in Clarin municipality, which was hit by a landslide.

The governor said his government was already studying the declaration of a state of calamity due to the extent of damage in the province.

Only the city government of Gingoog in Misamis Oriental has so far declared a state of calamity due to the effects of the rains and flooding, according to Mariano.

As for the Vice President’s operations, it said families from Barangays Putik, Cabuluay, Culianan, Pasolobong, and Boalan received the relief packages from the OVP-DOC on Sunday.

“But due to heavy rain, the distribution of relief boxes in Barangay Tumaga was conducted on the morning of December 26,” it said.

The Vice President, in her Facebook post, said the OVP-DOC worked closely with national and local government agencies for the immediate delivery of relief goods.

Duterte noted that each relief box contained water, sanitary items, sleeping mats, blankets, mosquito nets, and face masks.

The OVP-DOC, meanwhile, said over 400 residents are staying in several evacuation sites in Zamboanga City.

The Zamboanga City LGU said there are currently eight evacuation centers in the city in the aftermath of the flooding.

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