Severe tropical storm “Crising” exited the country yesterday morning, leaving in its wake a trail of destruction with at least P11.5 million damaged infrastructure, three missing persons, and almost a quarter of million people affected.
State weather bureau PAGASA said “Crising” and the southwest monsoon or “habagat” caused widespread flooding and even landslides in some areas.
Office of Civil Defense administrator Rafaelito Alejandro IV said two people were reported missing in Antique – with their homes hit by massive floods while they were sleeping.
“According to reports, they were washed out to sea, so they are still missing,” he said.
Another person was reported missing in Palawan after going to sea despite the bad weather, Alejandro said.
Meanwhile, over 215,000 people in 495 barangays, primarily in the Negros Island Region and Panay were also affected.
Nearly 1,000 passengers, drivers, and cargo helpers were stranded across the country Saturday as the Philippine Coast Guard suspended maritime operations in several regions.
A total of 8,695 air travelers were likewise affected following the cancellation of 12 domestic flights across various airports in the country yesterday.
The OCD is on red alert and has prepared 3 million family food packs for distribution.
A significant number of personnel—approximately 18,000 from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), and Philippine Coast Guard—are on standby for rescue operations.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council also reported P11.5 million in damage to flood control infrastructure in the Ilocos Region.
Although the storm is already out of the Philippine area of responsibility, Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) 2 was still raised over the following areas in Luzon as of 5:00 p.m.: Batanes, the western portion of Babuyan Islands (Dalupiri Island and Calayan Island) and Ilocos Norte (Burgos, Pasuquin, Pagudpud, Dumalneg, and Bangui).
The Department of Social Welfare and Development provided over P4.1 million worth of aid to families affected by “Crising” and the southwest monsoon.
“President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said that we must ensure the safety and security of our countrymen who have been affected by disasters…This is just initial aid, consisting of family food packs (FFPs) and non-food items,” Social Welfare Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Irene Dumlao said.
