Disaster officials said the death toll from Typhoon Odette hit 326 on Christmas Eve, including 14 confirmed deaths and 312 reported deaths that were up for validation. The figure was still below police estimates of 375 deaths due to the typhoon.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said at least 58 people remain missing while 661 were injured. Almost 630,000 people were displaced by the typhoon, the agency added.
Meanwhile, the agricultural damage caused by Odette has reached P3.6 billion, government data as of 4 p.m. on December 24 showed.
The amount covers the volume of production loss of 94,764 metric tons (MT) and 67,573 hectares of agricultural areas in Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao, and Caraga.
The calamity affected 47,048 farmers and fishers.
Odette slammed into the central and southern Philippines last week, knocking down power in 273 towns and cities. Power has been restored in 149 of these areas, the NDRRMC said.
Some 371 areas are still having communication problems, while three areas still have no water.
Odette damaged some 348,000 homes and around P3.9 billion worth of infrastructure, the disaster agency said.
Meanwhile, nearly 4 million households were also affected by typhoon Odette, based on the latest report by the National Electrification Administration (NEA).
NEA data showed the estimated cost of damage of electric cooperatives from typhoon Odette increased to P1.48 billion from P1.21 billion on Thursday.
Of the 939 municipalities whose power supply were affected, 673 municipalities have power, and 78 municipalities have partially restored power.
However, the power supply of 188 municipalities with a total of 2.4 million households has yet to be restored.
Eight electric cooperatives—Negros Oriental Electric Cooperative I, Bohol Electric Cooperative I and II, Southern Leyte Electric Cooperative, Camiguin Electric Cooperative, Surigao del Norte Electric Cooperative, Dinagat Islands Electric Cooperative and Siargao Electric Cooperative—still have no power.
Surigao del Norte Rep. Francisco Jose Matugas on Friday warned against the proliferation of what he described as fake news regarding the distribution of relief goods in Siargao Island.
Matugas, in a statement, said he was saddened by the misinformation being posted about the relief operations on the island.
“Some people are using fake news to cover up their inability to carry out relief efforts. They are using trolls to cover up their lack of coordination with relevant agencies and private benefactors. Trolling becomes a substitute for helping revive Siargao’s communities after the typhoon,” Matugas said.
Matugas also belied reports the relief good are being held in ports and are not released to the typhoon victims.
But he acknowledged that some victims have yet to receive their goods, citing transportation challenges.
“The relentless posting against relief efforts indicates that the trolls have too much time on their hands. They are not part of numerous tasks being carried out. They do not know the real situation because they are not on the ground facing the challenges of relief work on a daily basis,” Matugas said.
The Philippine National Police-Caraga said Friday that there was no confirmed incident of looting in Siargao, and Dinagat Islands after the onslaught of Typhoon Odette.
Interviewed on Dobol B TV, PNP-Caraga Public Information Office chief Police Major Dorothy Tumulak said that their personnel have been deployed to devastated areas to verify reports of looting, but so far, none of these have been confirmed.
Earlier, Bohol Gov. Arthur Yap raised the alarm on possible looting in areas that were affected by the typhoon as he appealed for help from the national government.
President Rodrigo Duterte earlier this week placed six regions under a state of calamity, which imposes an automatic price freeze on basic goods, allows local governments to tap calamity funds, and facilitates foreign aid for recovery efforts.
Duterte pledged to raise at least P10 billion for typhoon survivors, while noting that the COVID-19 response had depleted funds.
