Enteng leaves 15 dead, 21 missing; over 500,000 people affected

ANTIPOLO RESCUE OPS Rescuers and residents in Sitio Banaba, Barangay San Luis, Antipolo City, put their hopes on a taut rope as they search for three people who went missing in a landslide caused by Enteng. The effects of the tropical storm are still being felt at an Antipolo shelter and in Tondo, Manila, (insets) as of Tuesday. —Niño Jesus Orbeta and Richard A. Reyes

MANILA, Philippines — The death toll due to Typhoon Enteng (international name: Yagi) has reached 15 while 21 individuals remain missing, the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) said on Wednesday.

Cesar Idio, OCD operations service director, told President Marcos at a briefing in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, that 15 people were also injured.

Eight of the fatalities were from Rizal, two each from Cebu City, Northern Samar, and Naga City; and one in Negros Occidental, Idio said.

Most of the deaths were due to landslides and drowning, with no other details provided.

READ: Storm Enteng exits PAR; ‘habagat’ rains to persist

Enteng exited the Philippine area of responsibility early Wednesday morning as it developed into a typhoon, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

It was last spotted 450 kilometers west-northwest of Laoag City heading for China with maximum sustained winds of 140 km per hour.

Pagasa weather specialist Veronica Torres said there were no low-pressure areas or other weather disturbances that may soon affect the country.

Data from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Wednesday said 547,029 individuals in Metro Manila and six other regions were affected by Enteng, adding that 50,076 individuals were staying in 323 evacuation centers across the country.

Bicol Region had the highest number of affected individuals at 181,506 while Metro Manila had 74,030.

P350-M agricultural damage

The damage to infrastructure, according to the agency, remained at P200,000, saying that 538 houses were “partially destroyed” while 51 were “totally destroyed.”

There was no NDRRMC data on the damage to agriculture, but the Department of Agriculture said Enteng has so far caused P350.85 million worth of damage.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development also reported that it has distributed over P16 million in aid to 303,938 affected individuals in Cagayan Valley; Central Luzon; Bicol Region; Western, Central and Eastern Visayas; Calabarzon; and Metro Manila.

The Government Service Insurance System, meanwhile, said it would extend its emergency loan program to offer financial aid to members and pensioners in typhoon-hit areas.

This extension will take effect once it receives the list of areas officially declared as under a state of calamity. —with reports from Kathleen de Villa, Tyrone Jasper C. Piad and Mariedel Irish U. Catilogo