‘Falcon’ death toll at 8, 12 missing

The death toll from Tropical Storm “Falcon” rose to eight on Saturday with the recovery of the body of a 57-year-old man who had drowned in the Cordillera, disaster management officials said yesterday.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said 12 other persons remained missing in the aftermath of Falcon’s destructive swath that flooded parts of Central Luzon, Metro Manila and other areas.

In Central Luzon, total economic damage was pegged at P563.7 million, with over P500 million lost in agriculture, an updated NDRRMC situation report said.

The agency said Falcon affected more than 1.7 million persons in 91 towns and 21 cities in 12 provinces. Of the total, 549 families were still housed in 18 evacuation centers, NDRRMC said.

In Metro Manila, there are 58 families still in five evacuation centers, mostly in the Camanava area.

In its update, NDRRMC identified the latest fatality as Vicente Yossayos, one of the reported missing until he was found in waters off Mt. Province. DJ Yap