P126M in relief funds released but flood victims rising, near 2M

Flood victims take shelter at an evacuation centre in suburban Manila on August 8, 2012. More than one million people in and around the Philippine capital battled deadly floods on August 8 amid relentless monsoon rains, with neck-deep waters trapping slum dwellers and the wealthy on roofs. AFP/JAY DIRECTO

MANILA, Philippines–The government has released P126 million in relief assistance but the number of flood victims continued to rise, with latest count nearing two million amid torrential rains that inundated Metro Manila and nearby provinces over the past days, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said Thursday.

In its latest bulletin, the 1,953,481 flood victims were in the regions of Ilocos, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Western Visayas and National Capital Region.

More than 500,000 persons have been served inside and outside evacuation centers.

Nineteen were reported dead in the official death toll.

Meanwhile, a total of 154 roads and four bridges are not passable to all types of vehicles in affected regions, most of which are in the NCR, said the NDRRMC.

A total of 3,035 houses were damaged in Ilocos, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa and Western Visayas, 358 of which were completely destroyed.

Severe flooding was experienced in a total of 89 cities and municipalities in NCR, Ilocos, Central Luzon and Calabarzon. In NCR, 15 cities and one municipality experienced widespread flooding, as well as Calabarzon’s 21 municipalities.

About P126 million worth of relief assistance was released by local government units, non-government organizations, Department of Social Welfare and Development and Department of Health. The NCR received the biggest allocation based on the extent of damage.

Nearly 9,000 troops from the police, coast guard and military were deployed to conduct search and rescue operations.