THE National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Friday said that based on their records, the number of individuals affected by tropical cyclones Goring, Hanna, and Ineng, as well as the southwest monsoon or habagat, has breached one million.
Meanwhile, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and the NDRRMC thanked the public, the academe, the private sector, government agencies, local government units, and other stakeholders for joining the Third Quarter Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED) held Thursday afternoon.
In its latest report, the NDRRMC said 1,084,632 people or 291,545 families were affected in Ilocos, Cagayan, Central Luzon, Region IV-A (Calabarzon), Region IV-B (MIMAROPA), Western Visayas, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), and the National Capital Region (NCR).
Of this number, 3,219 individuals or 921 families were staying in 71 evacuation centers, while 740 others or 213 families were taking shelter in other places.
A state of calamity was declared in Coron, Palawan; Leganes, Pototan, and Oton in Iloilo; Sibalom, San Remigio, and Hamtic in Antique; and Bago, Bacolod, and San Enrique in Negros Occidental.
Two persons were reported dead in Western Visayas and CAR, while two were missing in Calabarzon and Western Visayas. Three people were also injured in Central Luzon and Calabarzon.
Over P996.45 million worth of damages were reported in the agricultural sector and P905,69 million in infrastructures. The National Irrigation Administration reported P 2.1 million worth of damages.
Power interruptions were still being experienced in three of the 52 affected areas in Western Visayas, the NDRRMC said. Water supply problems were still reported in one of the affected areas in the same region.
Twenty-two passengers in Western Visayas were stranded as 31 of the 98 affected seaports have yet to resume operations in Cagayan, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, and Western Visayas.
Assistance worth P 77.4 million has been provided to the victims so far, according to the NDRRMC.
The Tagbilaran City government hosted the ceremonial pressing of the button at the Old Tagbilaran City Airport and the full-scale exercise focusing on a magnitude 7.2 earthquake scenario due to the movement of the so-called East Bohol Fault.
Bohol province was chosen as the ceremonial site for this quarter’s NSED to commemorate the 10th year Anniversary of the magnitude 7.2
earthquake that struck the province on October 15, 2013.
Earthquake emergency plans were showcased by the Tagbilaran local government unit in a full-scale exercise, demonstrating response capabilities, command and control systems and processes, and the interoperability of rescue teams.
The response components of the exercise included the setting up of a triage area for the treatment of patients; the activation of response
clusters and the incident management team; as well as the establishment of incident command post facilities.
Players of the exercise responded to simulation incidents such as mass casualty, collapsed structures with trapped victims, structural fire, and looting.
“I congratulate the provincial government of Bohol for being our gracious host for this round of the NSED. We truly admire how far the province has gone in terms of development and progress, recovering from the great earthquake in 2013 and Typhoon Odette,” said NDRRMC chairman and Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro in a message delivered by Assistant Secretary Hernando Caraig Jr., Civil Defense Deputy Administrator for Operations.
“May your commitment to resilience and ensuring the safety and prosperity of the Bol-anons bring more achievements that would benefit the province and
serve as a model for the nation to emulate.”
Meanwhile, academic institutions, business establishments, government offices, and communities across the nation participated in the NSED, conducting evacuation drills in their respective areas.
“I also congratulate the NDRRMC, its member agencies, private establishments and our countrymen throughout the islands for their participation to make this training a success. As for our countrymen, may you always participate in various activities in your community to improve your preparation.” Caraig said.
The public may watch the livestreaming of Third Quarter NSED through Civil Defense PH and NDRRMC Facebook pages.
The 2023 fourth quarter NSED is scheduled for November 9.