NDRRMC: Number of people affected by Surigao del Sur quakes rises

FILE PHOTO: Residents of Hinatuan town in Surigao del Sur spend the night in public spaces, like school grounds and their village chapel, following the magnitude 7.4 earthquake on Saturday, December 2, 2023, for fear that their houses will give way from aftershocks while they are asleep. — ERWIN M. MASCARIÑAS

MANILA, Philippines —The number of people affected by the two earthquakes that recently struck Surigao del Sur province has increased to over 700,000, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said Sunday.

In its latest report, the NDRRMC revealed that about 704,076 individuals from the 643,220 recorded on December 8. Of the figure, 3,396 were displaced from Region 11 (Davao Region), with 3,310 inside evacuation centers and 86 staying elsewhere.

Although the number of deaths remained at three, the agency reported that the number of people injured climbed to 88 from the 65 recorded last Friday.

READ: Surigao del Sur earthquakes generate over 5,000 aftershocks

The magnitude 7.4 and 6.8 earthquakes, which happened on December 2 and December 4 off Hinatuan and Cagwait municipalities, respectively, also brought damage to the country’s crop sector, amounting to P110,368,800.

The recent quakes likewise affected the livelihood of 697 farmers.

To aid them, the government has so far distributed a total of  P58,629,706 from the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Office of the Civil Defense, and various local government units.