150,000 ‘Ruby’ victims still in shelters

MANILA, Philippines– From as many as 1.4 million evacuees, a little more than 150,000 people displaced by Typhoon “Ruby” (international name: Hagupit) still remain in evacuation centers five days after the typhoon blew out into the West Philippine Sea.

Close to 150,000 are in the three Samar provinces, which were the hardest hit by Ruby when it slammed into Eastern Visayas and southern Luzon from Dec. 6 to 9.

As of Dec. 14, 156,904 evacuees, or 30,689 families, are still in 463 government-designated shelters in four affected regions, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

Nearly all of them—149,350 evacuees, or 29,250 families—are in the Eastern Visayas region, specifically in Northern Samar, Eastern Samar and Samar provinces.

In Samar, 88,307 people, or 17,542 families, remain in evacuation centers; 60,803 people, or 11,653 families, in Eastern Samar; and 240 people, or 55 families, in Northern Samar.

The rest of the remaining evacuees are in Caraga (1,610 evacuees, or 32 families), Bicol (360 evacuees) and Mimaropa (five evacuees).

The evacuees in Metro Manila, Calabarzon, Central Luzon and Central Visayas have already returned to their homes.

As of Sunday, the NDRRMC confirmed that 38,110 houses were completely destroyed by the typhoon, 36,641 of which are in Eastern Visayas.

Another 203,595 houses were damaged, 183,115 of which are also in Eastern Visayas.

The NDRRMC said schools remained closed in Borongan City in Eastern Samar and in Catbalogan City in Samar province.

Although news reports indicated at least 23 dead, the NDRRMC’s official death toll remained unchanged over the weekend with 19 people killed and 916 others injured.

Official estimate of damage to infrastructure and agriculture also remained unchanged over the weekend at P3.3 billion.