Death toll due to rains, floods rises to 17: NDRRMC

Bianca Dava, ABS-CBN News MANILA — The reported death toll in the Philippines due to inclement weather since Jan. 2 has risen to 17, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said Friday. The NDRRMC said 5 of the fatalities were reported in Bicol, 4 each in Zamboanga and Northern Mindanao, 3 in Eastern Visayas, and 1 in Davao Region. Seven people were injured while 2 remain missing, the agency said in its 6 a.m. report. Back-to-back low pressure areas, a shear line and the northeast monsoon have triggered floods and landslides in vast swaths of the country since last week. A total of 121,950 families or 523,991 individuals were affected in Cagayan, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga, Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, Soccsksargen and the Bangsamoro, the NDRRMC said. Of this number, 13,456 families or 71,442 individuals are staying in evacuation centers, it added. The cost of damage to infrastructure and agriculture have reached P165.7 million and P252.7 million, respectively. Some 530 houses were damaged, while 31 roads and 13 bridges were not passable to all types of vehicles, the disaster agency added. Due to the damage caused by inclement weather, 5 municipalities have declared a state of calamity, namely Tubod, Lanao del Norte; Dolores, Eastern Samar; San Miguel, Leyte; and Gandara and Basey in Samar. The NDRRMC said government has provided some P30.9 million worth of assistance to affected residents. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said it is still accepting donations for flood victims. Spokesperson Rommel Lopez said cash donors may call 09434648026 or 09957153926 for proper coordination. In-kind donations are also welcome, he said. "We need right now is of course your canned goods, water, and of course ready to eat meals. We ask them to provide us with this kind of donation, when it comes to food items, at least one year of expiration so that it will not compromise the health of our potential beneficiaries." "And then we discourage also donations of formula milk because we encourage our kababayans that despite being in the evacuation center, to breastfeed of course their children," he said. The Philippines is ranked among the most vulnerable nations to the impacts of climate change, and scientists have warned that storms are becoming more powerful as the world gets warmer.

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