By Brian Campued
The government has provided a total of P895.658 million in aid to the victims of Severe Tropical Storm Kristine and Super Typhoon Leon, Malacañang said Thursday.
Citing data from the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC), the said relief covers food and non-food items supplied by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), local government units (LGUs), and non-government organizations.
Kristine battered most of Luzon last week, causing widespread flooding and landslides and displacing millions of people. Leon, currently inside the Philippine area of responsibility, is lashing the extreme Northern Luzon.
Some 211 LGUs have also declared a State of Calamity in their areas.
The NDRRMC reported over 1.89 million families or over 7.49 million individuals affected by the tropical cyclones across the country. Of this number, around 85,536 families are inside evacuation centers, while 87,617 families are outside the temporary shelters.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. previously ordered concerned government agencies to continue providing necessary assistance to the affected individuals and families.
According to NDRRMC, 213 areas remain submerged, while floodwaters in 614 areas either have subsided or are receding.
Meanwhile, P2.9 billion worth of damages and losses to agriculture were recorded in Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Ilocos, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas, and SOCCSKSARGEN.
Damages to infrastructure in CAR, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, MIMAROPA, Bicol, Central Visayas, Northern Mindanao, and SOCCSKSARGEN reached P6.390 billion.
The NDRRMC reported a total of 150,511 damaged houses.
—iro