THE National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council struggled on Thursday to take stock of the effects of Typhoon “Nona” as many towns in several provinces remained isolated and beyond the reach of rescue and relief teams.
Mahar Lagmay, chief of the Department of Science and Technology’s Project Noah, said the flooding caused by Nona could even equal the devastation of Typhoon ‘‘Ondoy’’ in 2009 which caused official states of calamity in Metro Manila and 25 other provinces.
So far, only the provinces of Albay and Sorsogon have already declared states of calamity but many towns in several provinces remained isolated and the NDRRMC still could not ascertain the extent of the damage.
At press time, the NDRRMC has only confirmed eight deaths, but more reports are expected to come when provincial disaster councils are able to reach isolated areas.
In its Situation Report no. 9, issued Thursday morning, the NDRRMC said Nona has already affected 15,336 families, or 68,100 people, in six cities, 137 municipalities in 17 provinces of Regions 4-A, 4-B, 5 and 8.
Of these, some 12,229 families or 53,850 people were staying in 248 evacuation centers.
Damage to infrastructure (P94,764,324) and agriculture (P225,261,386.96) was already estimated at P320,025,710.96 in Regions 4-B, 5 and 8.
A total of 109,065 houses were damaged (13,330 total and 95,735 partially) in Regions 4-A, 4-B, 5 and 8.
It added that total cost of government assistance for the affected families has reached P43,404,386 worth of relief goods and medicines from combined resources of DSWD and LGUs for the affected families in Regions 4-A, 4-B, 5 and 8.
In Nueva Ecija alone, at least 12 towns remained isolated and Gov. Aurelio Umali complained that the isolation is aggravated by the collapse of the Singalot Bridge linking Palayan City and Natividad town.
The affected roads due to flooding were the Zaragoza-San Antonio; Pantabangan-Aurora; Sta Rosa-Zaragosa; Cabanatuan-Aliaga; Laur-Gabaldon; Jaen-San Isidro; Jaen-San Antonio-San Isidro-Gapan.
Several landslides incidents also occurred along the Pantabangan-Aurora road at the mountain ranges separating Nueva Ecija and Nueva Viscaya, burying dozens of houses, but officials still could not ascertain the number of fatalities or casualties.
Unofficial reports from provincial disaster councils has already placed deaths at 13 on Wednesday.
In MIMAROPA alone, one of the regions devastated by “Nona,” there were 11 deaths reported by Supt Imelda Tolentino, spokesman of the region’s police. Four villages in Oriental Mindora remain flooded.
Authorities have also warned residents in Pampanga and Bulacan of massive flooding as rains accumulated in the Sierra Madre have nowhere to go but to cascade in the aforementioned provinces.