ILOILO CITY, Philippines -- Boracay Island has started returning to normal in the aftermath of the typhoon "Frank" that ravaged Western Visayas.

Senior Inspector Auxilio Dador, chief of the Boracay Special Tourist Police Office, said residents and employees of resorts and hotels have been cleaning up the debris and damage brought by Frank.

The white beach, the island-resort's main attraction, has been largely spared but strong winds and rampaging waters damaged resorts and houses at the Bolabog beach at the opposite side of the 1,000-hectare island. Bolabog is a site favored for waters sports like jet skiing, para-sailing and surfing.

Franklin damaged or destroyed P50 million worth of property, including the walls of resorts along the Bolabog beach, speedboats and pump boats.

Lilibeth Sacapaño, village chief of Balabag, one of the three villages of the island, said the storm caused flooding that reached knee-high in some areas.

Electricity remained down on the island as in the rest of Aklan province but it would be restored within the week. The resorts have been relying on generators for their power requirements.

Resort owner Nenette Graf said, in a telephone interview, that Boracay was spared the massive damage incurred by the capital town of Kalibo.

Resort and hotel owners belonging to the Boracay Foundation Inc. (BFI) have launched a campaign to gather ready-to-eat food, drinking water and bed sheets for Aklanons left homeless or who have been evacuated.

Senior Superintendent Benigno Durana, Aklan provincial director, said the death toll in the province reached 55 as of 4 p.m. on Wednesday. Seventy nine persons were injured while seven others remained missing.

Frank destroyed 8,739 houses and damaged 17,257 others. Around 36,992 persons were evacuated and 147,820 Aklanons have been affected by the typhoon, Durana told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in a telephone interview.