Houses in San Francisco, Anini-y, Antique, are no match for the fury of Typhoon “Odette” that rammed through the town on Dec. 18. —PHOTO COURTESY OF CINDY LOQUIAS
MANILA, Philippines — The number of individuals who died due to Typhoon Odette has gone up to 378, latest reports from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) showed on Sunday.
NDRRMC spokesperson Mark Timbal in an interview with ABS-CBN’s Teleradyo also said that 742 people sustained injuries after Odette passed over the northern parts of Mindanao and southern portions of Visayas, and Palawan.
“Ang ating casualty count po for Typhoon Odette, we already have a reported 378 fatalities, 378 po na mga kababayan natin ang napabalita pong nasawi dahil po dito kay Odette, 60 po ang missing, at 742 po ang injured,” Timbal said.
“Ito pong mga figures na ito ay subject for verification and validation, kaya po baka mag-adjust adjust ulit tayo ng mga numero habang pumapasok po ‘yong mga ulat,” he added.
NDRRMC’s current death toll is higher by 12 compared with Saturday’s 367, while nine more persons were added to the missing list.
READ: Odette death toll rises to 367, but most cases still being validated — NDRRMC
But aside from the casualty count, the NDRRMC also noted that the number of affected individuals currently being serviced by the government is at 3.952 million — around 34,000 higher than Saturday’s tally.
READ: Persons affected by Odette shoots up to 3.9 million; 108,000 houses totally damaged — DSWD
However, the number of evacuation centers being used by people affected by Typhoon Odette is slowly going down, from 1,204 on Saturday to 1,198 on Sunday — which Timbal said may be an indication that people have started returning to their homes.
“Pansin niyo po eh parang bumababa ‘yong ating mga evacuation center count. It’s possible po na nagsisimula nang magsi-uwian ‘yong mga kababayan natin na narelease na po sa evacuation center ‘yong iba, dahil umiigi na po ‘yong panahon in those areas po previously affected by Typhoon Odette,” he said.
In terms of property loss, the NDRRMC said that 478,953 houses sustained damage, while damage to infrastructure was computed at P16.67 billion, and to agriculture at P3.963 billion.
From last December 16 to 18, Typhoon Odette ravaged several provinces in Visayas and Mindanao, leading observers to compare it with Super Typhoon Yolanda’s effects in 2013.
READ: Odette: Impact on PH described as ‘catastrophic’