More than one million families affected by storms, ‘habagat’ – OCD

MANILA – The number of persons affected by the combined effects of tropical cyclones Luis and Maymay and southwest monsoon (habagat) rains has climbed to 3.73 million, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said on Thursday.

In a message to reporters, OCD public information officer Diego Mariano said the latest number of weather disturbance-affected individuals is equivalent to around nearly 1.09 million families residing in 3,637 villages in Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Bicol Region, Western Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Calabarzon, Cordillera Administrative Region, the National Capital Region and Mimaropa.

Mariano also said around 533 evacuation centers are currently sheltering about 15,017 families, or 53,570 persons.

Some PHP458,024,188 worth of assistance has been provided to impacted areas so far.

Deaths being validated remained at 21 — 15 in Benguet and three each in Rizal and Batangas.

Mariano said the number of injured was placed at 14, and three persons reported missing.

The number of damaged houses, meanwhile, was placed at around 1,339.

-Philippine News Agency