‘Uwan’ death toll at 25; 2M displaced in 15 regions
At least 25 deaths were reported on Tuesday due to Typhoon “Uwan” (international name: Fung-Wong) which battered parts of Luzon and the Bicol region with strong winds and heavy rains, and displaced more than 2.4 million individuals.
Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Deputy Administrator Asec. Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said in a press briefing that 19 were killed in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) while there were three fatalities in Region 2. One death each was recorded in Regions 5, 6 and 8.
Two people remain missing in CAR while 29 others were injured in different regions, Alejandro added.
But the OCD official said the number of casualties was not expected to rise sharply as most reports from local governments had already been consolidated.
Uwan, which became a supertyphoon before it made landfall in Dinalungan, Aurora, on Sunday evening, affected about 6,900 barangays and displaced 653,000 families or 2.4 million individuals. Around 804,000 families remain in 11,000 evacuation centers across the country.
Affected families
Data provided by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said that of the more than 2.3 million persons affected by Uwan across 15 regions as of Tuesday, the majority or 1.16 million individuals (329,029 families) were in Bicol region. Next were Negros Island region with 198,120 persons (51,468 families) and eastern Visayas with 186,532 persons (53,053 families).
The rest were from central Luzon: 158,697 persons (44,998 families); Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao: 151,960 persons (30,392 families); western Visayas: 109,220 persons (36,006 families); Caraga: 99,109 persons (22,018 families); Cagayan Valley: 98,003 persons (32,447 families); Metro Manila: 66,195 persons (17,704 families); Ilocos region: 59,614 persons (16,493 families); Mimaropa: 33,075 persons (8,499 families); Calabarzon: 14,703 persons (4,685 families); CAR: 10,875 persons (3,493 families); northern Mindanao: 4,882 persons (1,112 families); and Zamboanga Peninsula: 4,018 persons (1,235 families).
A total of 267 barangays experienced flooding and 19 others were hit by storm surges, while more than 4,100 houses were damaged.
Power interruptions were reported in 394 areas, with electricity back in only 32. At least 202 roads were affected—37 of these were national highways that remain closed to traffic, mostly in Regions 2 and 5. On the other hand, access to 12 other roads has been limited.
Catanduanes ‘hardest-hit’
Alejandro said that based on their ongoing rapid damage assessment, Catanduanes was among the hardest-hit provinces after it suffered major water supply disruptions that could take up to 20 days to repair.
“Catanduanes has a serious problem in terms of water supply. We’re attending to it right now,” he said.
The OCD official added that Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian has gone to the province to coordinate response while the Department of Social Welfare and Development has sent 10,000 family food packs to augment local stockpiles.
The latest bulletin from the Department of Agriculture (DA) said the farm sector sustained P142.29 million in losses due to Uwan, affecting the livelihood of 4,631 farmers in Mimaropa and Bicol.
The volume of production loss was estimated at 8,235 metric tons spanning 2,482 hectares of agricultural areas.
Rice was the most affected commodity, accounting for P116.37 million or 81.78 percent of the overall damage. Next was corn which incurred P19.76 million in losses, equivalent to 13.89 percent of the total. The typhoon also hit P6.07 million worth of high-value crops, including lowland vegetables and fruits (banana).
Agricultural assistance
“Further damage and losses are expected in affected regions as assessment and validation are ongoing,” the DA said.
It added that it has so far provided the following aid to victims: P379.31 million worth of agricultural assistance, P1.24 million of animal feed, P771,620 worth of fish fingerlings and P2.57 million worth of rice stock.
The DA quick response fund has also been made available for the rehabilitation and recovery of affected areas.
The NDRRMC, meanwhile, reported that as of Tuesday, total government and local assistance to Uwan victims had reached P48.9 million.
Alejandro said that national and local agencies remain “on full alert” to address urgent needs in affected provinces.
“We continue to coordinate all efforts to restore water, power and access in the hardest-hit communities,” he added. —WITH REPORTS FROM JORDEENE B. LAGARE AND ZACARIAN SARAO
