By Brian Campued
At least seven individuals were reported dead due to the onslaught of Severe Tropical Storm Kristine in Luzon and parts of Visayas, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
In its situational report issued at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, the NDRRMC said six of these deaths were from Bicol Region, while one was from Calabarzon.
Additionally, seven were reported missing—five in Bicol Region and one each from Calabarzon and Ilocos Region.
Around four injuries were also recorded in Bicol Region.
All of these casualties, however, are still undergoing validation, the disaster body said.
In a Facebook post, the Coast Guard District Bicol said that search-and-rescue operations are still underway as of press time in Nabua, Camarines Sur.
“Patuloy na nakikipag-ugnayan ang Coast Guard sa iba pang ahensya upang agarang makapagresponde sa mga komunidad na apektado ng Bagyong Kristine,” it said.
“Nananatili ding naka-alerto ang mga Deployable Response Groups (DRGs) ng Coast Guard District Bicol kasama ang mga Station at Sub-Stations nito para makapagbigay agad ng tulong sa mga nangangailangan dulot ng nasabing bagyo,” it added.
The bad weather has affected 431,738 families or about 2,077,643 individuals across 2,124 barangays in Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol Region, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Caraga, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).
A total of 43,463 families or 163,184 persons are currently in 4,567 evacuation centers, while 8,003 families or around 32,877 individuals are outside the centers.
According to the NDRRMC, at least 1,007 houses were either totally or partially damaged in the affected areas, while six infrastructures were also reported damaged.
Meanwhile, at least P55,284,894.07 worth of humanitarian assistance were so far distributed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
In a progress report by the agency’s Disaster Response Operations Management, Information and Communication (DROMIC) as of 6:00 a.m. Thursday, over P2.8 billion are still available in standby funds and cost of food and non-food items.
Severe Tropical Storm Kristine made landfall over Divilacan, Isabela early Thursday morning.
—iro
