SUBMERGED ROAD Residents brave the strong flood current that submerged the road in Barangay Rizal, Palompon, Leyte, on Thursday, July 18, 2024 following a heavy downpour caused by a low pressure area. (Photo from the SANGGUNIANG KABATAAN OF BARANGAY RIZAL, LEYTE)
MANILA, Philippines — The number of individuals affected by the southwest monsoon, locally known as ‘habagat,’ has reached over 600,000, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported on Sunday.
In its latest report, the NDRRMC said 636,110 individuals or 131,388 families residing in 521 barangays nationwide were impacted by habagat.
The figure of displaced persons likewise rose to 384,966 — 22,388 went to evacuation centers while 362,578 took shelter elsewhere.
The number of flooded areas has reached 295.
The submerged places are in Mimaropa, Central Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao Region and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
READ: NDRRMC: 2 reported dead in Mindanao due to habagat
Habagat also caused damage to the country’s crop sector, amounting to more than P8,000,000.
The weather condition has also adversely affected at least 264 farmers and fisherfolk.
According to state weather bureau’s report, habagat has been bringing moderate to heavy and heavy to intense rain over the western sections of Southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao since last week.