The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported on Wednesday that the number of families affected by last week’s heavy southwest monsoon (habagat) rains and a succession of tropical cyclones has surpassed the 2-million mark.
In its latest situational report, the NDRRMC indicated that a total of 2,064,096 families, equivalent to 7,457,942 individuals, are currently residing in 7,758 barangays across the country.
As of Wednesday morning, 32,332 families are still sheltering in 1,145 evacuation centers, while an additional 23,967 families are receiving aid in other locations. The reported death toll stands at 34, with only two fatalities validated so far. The agency also noted that 22 individuals have been reported injured, with 15 confirmed, and seven individuals are reported missing, three of whom have been verified.
The monsoon rains and the cyclones Crising, Dante, and Emong have caused significant damage, affecting 37,557 houses—33,084 classified as “partially damaged” and 4,473 as “totally damaged,” according to the NDRRMC. The estimated damage to agriculture is PHP 1.96 billion, while infrastructure damage is estimated at PHP 9.5 billion.
To facilitate the delivery of relief items to remote communities, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) announced a “coordinated movement of critical relief supplies via airlift” that took place on Tuesday morning, with assistance from the United States military.
“The government deployed its own C-130 aircraft along with the V-22 Osprey of the United States Armed Forces to transport family food packs, hygiene kits, solar panels, inverters, and battery banks from key staging areas in Tuguegarao, Cagayan, and Clark, Pampanga,” the OCD stated. These shipments are destined for Basco, Batanes, where local government units will oversee the distribution to isolated and affected communities.
Additionally, on Tuesday, the OCD conducted an inter-agency coordinating cell meeting at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City to align ongoing response operations for the severely affected communities. This meeting was part of the OCD’s high-level coordination efforts to ensure uninterrupted response operations while actively preparing for potential future weather disturbances.