The number of people who perished due to typhoon “Ursula” (international name: Phanfone) has reached 50 while over 2.1 million Filipinos were affected, making it one of the most devastating typhoons to hit the country in 2019, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) disclosed Tuesday.
“We can say that it is [one of the most devastating typhoons to hit the Philippines in 2019],” NDRRMC spokesperson Mark Timbal said.
Ursula is the 21st typhoon to hit the country in 2019.
At least 522,460 families or 2,122,581 individuals have been affected by Ursula since it made landfall in the Philippines on December 24 until it left the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on December 28, 2019, according to NDRRMC Executive Director Ricardo Jalad.
At present, 21,409 families or 84,909 individuals were still staying at evacuation centers, Jalad added.
Twenty-six persons were killed in Western Visayas (Region 6), 16 in Eastern Visayas (Region 8), seven in Mimaropa (Region 4B) and one in Central Visayas (Region 7). Most of the victims drowned at the height of the onslaught of Ursula.
The damage to agriculture and infrastructure was placed at R1.084 billion, destroying rice fields, corn produce, high value crops, fisheries and livestock in Mimaropa, Bicol Region (Region 5), Regions 6, 7, and 8.
Meanwhile, at least 143 persons were injured due to various landslide incidents, flooding, fire, and capsizing of sea vessels.
Five persons remained missing, Jalad said, two of them were aboard fishing boats “Athan 3” and “Athan 4” which capsized in Barangay Caminawit, San Jose, Occidental Mindoro on Christmas Day. (Martin Sadongdong)
