Duterte says he will return to areas hit by Typhoon Odette

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte plans to revisit areas ravaged by Typhoon Odette (internationally known as Rai).

“So I will have to hurry up… I will return to the areas that were hit,” Duterte said in Filipino during his weekly televised briefing with government officials that aired late on Monday night.

Duterte earlier visited Siargao Island in Surigao del Norte and Dinagat Islands, and Maasin City in Southern Leyte to assess the damage caused by Typhoon Odette.

The chief executive, meanwhile, thanked the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police for their work in typhoon-hit areas.

“Of course, we have to thank the military and the police. [They] have done a good job in all the areas that are hit by Typhoon Odette,” Duterte said.

According to Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, 6,886 military personnel were deployed in Odette-hit regions and 11 air assets were dispatched to affected areas for the transport of relief goods, among others.

From Dec. 16 to 18, Typhoon Odette ravaged the northern parts of Mindanao and the southern portions of Visayas before battering Palawan — leaving a trail of destruction that is being compared to that caused by Super Typhoon Yolanda in 2013.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) has so far reported 389 deaths due to Typhoon Odette.

The NDRRMC also said 64 individuals remained missing and 1,146 were injured. The latest report also showed that over 1.07 million families — or more than 4.2 million individuals — in 429 cities or municipalities were affected by the typhoon.

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