By FRANCIS T. WAKEFIELD
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said yesterday that 500,000 families have been affected by typhoon “Ompong” (international name “Mangkhut”), more than a week after the most powerful weather disturbance to hit the country this year devastated Northern Luzon.
NDRRMC Executive Director and Office of Civil Defense Administrator Ricardo B. Jalad said that as of 6 a.m. yesterday, 508,076 families or 2,140,442 persons from 4,817 barangays in Regions 1, 2, 3, 4-A, 4-B, National Capital Region, and the Cordillera Administrative Region were affected by Ompong.
Jalad said 13,587 families or 56,917 persons are being served inside and outside evacuation centers.
The NDRRMC said 23 people were confirmed killed, 134 injured, and two missing in Regions 1, 2, 3, 6, CAR, and NCR.
Forty-three incidents of landslides, flooding, road slip, land subsidence, and vehicular accident were monitored in Regions 4-B, 5, 6, and CAR.
Jalad said damage to agriculture and infrastructure in Regions 1, 2, 3, 4-B, and CAR has reached P17, 917,847,631.02, P14, 339,237,631.02 for agriculture and P3, 632,610,000 for infrastructure.
Almost 172,000 farmers were affected.
Three-hundred eight road sections and seven bridges were affected in Regions 1, 2, 3, 5, and CAR, of which 283 road sections and five bridges were reported passable as of Sept. 22.
NDRRMC spokesperson Edgar Posadas said 402 areas were reported flooded in Regions 1, 3, 4-A, and 4-B as of Friday. Flooding in 173 areas have subsided.
