SIX people have died and more than 74,000 families have been affected by the combined effects of Tropical Cyclones Luis and Maymay and the southwest monsoon or “habagat,” the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said on Saturday.
In its latest situation report as of 6 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, the NDRRMC said a total of 74,755 families, or 261,048 people, in the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Bicol Region, Zamboanga Peninsula, the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Mimaropa and Calabarzon.
The death toll included two people in Benguet who died in landslides and two others in Rodriguez, Rizal, who were killed by a rockslide.
La Union recorded two fatalities, one due to drowning and another due to electrocution.
Seven people were also injured, all in Benguet. Five were hurt in a landslide in Baguio City, while one sustained injuries in a vehicular accident in Kapangan and another was injured in a landslide in La Trinidad.
No missing persons were reported.
The NDRRMC said 83 evacuation centers had been opened in affected areas, where 2,519 families or 7,580 individuals were staying.
The weather disturbances also damaged 120 houses, including 112 partially damaged and eight totally damaged.
Infrastructure losses were estimated at P105.5 million, while agricultural damage reached P3.53 million.
Government agencies and other responders have provided P7.38 million worth of assistance to affected communities, the NDRRMC said.
The figures remain subject to validation and may increase as disaster assessment and response operations continue.
The latest casualty and damage figures came as the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) warned the public to remain vigilant as the southwest monsoon continues to bring heavy rains to parts of the country.
The OCD urged residents to monitor weather conditions, follow advisories from authorities and be prepared for flooding, landslides and other rain-induced hazards, particularly in vulnerable areas.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said the enhanced Habagat would continue to affect large parts of Luzon and Western Visayas over the next several days.
Pagasa’s Aug. 8 weather outlook said occasional rains were expected over the Ilocos Region, Abra, Benguet, Zambales, Bataan, Cavite and Occidental Mindoro, while Metro Manila, the rest of CAR, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Marinduque, Romblon and Antique could experience cloudy skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms.
Pagasa’s latest rainfall warnings also showed that the situation remained potentially hazardous.
As of 2 p.m. Saturday, an orange rainfall warning was in effect over Benguet, with flooding and landslides threatening flood- and landslide-prone areas. Ilocos Sur and La Union were under a yellow warning.
In the National Capital Region and nearby areas, Pagasa issued a separate heavy rainfall warning at 2 p.m., placing parts of Bataan, Cavite, Metro Manila, Zambales, Batangas, Pampanga, Bulacan and Laguna under a red warning because of intense rains.
Pagasa also placed parts of Palawan, Antique, Aklan and Occidental Mindoro under red rainfall warnings in its 2 p.m. regional advisory, warning of serious flooding in low-lying areas and landslides in mountainous areas.
Oriental Mindoro was under a red warning, with severe flooding possible in flood-prone areas and a higher chance of landslides in vulnerable locations.
Pagasa said the enhanced southwest monsoon was expected to continue bringing occasional rains over Zambales and Bataan from Sunday through Tuesday, Aug. 9 to 11, while Metro Manila, the Ilocos Region, CAR, the rest of Central Luzon and Calabarzon, Occidental Mindoro and Antique would experience cloudy skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms.
