By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan | Philippine News Agency
MANILA – Five facilities of the Philippine National Police (PNP) were damaged by Typhoon Odette while 210 personnel were listed among the victims.
Based on reports from the PNP Command Center on Sunday (Dec. 19), the five facilities are located in Eastern Visayas and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) while PNP conducted 41 rescue and relief operations and rescued 563 distressed persons.
PNP chief Gen. Dionardo Carlos said various units continue to provide assistance and security in 7,201 evacuation centers where 2,432 families comprised of 100,353 individuals have sought temporary shelter.
Carlos said it has restored its communications with PNP Units in areas affected by the typhoon in Visayas, Mindanao, and Mimaropa.
“The PNP communication lines and supply continue to be operational in all Police Regional Offices, ensuring effective command and control to supervise and direct post-disaster relief and rehabilitation operations,” Carlos said in a statement, released before his link-up with President Rodrigo Duterte who is visiting other affected areas in Mindanao.
Carlos said both conventional and alternate communication systems remain operational to keep the PNP Command Group in touch with all units.
“Lessons learned from the [Super Typhoon] Yolanda experience [in 2013] taught us to continue to maintain conventional communication systems as backup for modern digital telecommunications infrastructure,” he said.
As of Sunday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported four confirmed deaths while 27 others were being validated.
The NDRRMC is also confirming reports of three injured and one missing while 135 areas in the Mimaropa and Regions 7, 8, 10, and BARMM are still experiencing communication outages.
“Odette” also left 3,612 partially damaged and 171 totally damaged houses in Mimaropa, Western Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, Caraga, and the BARMM, the NDRRMC added. (PNA) – bny
