More than 491,000 Filipinos were affected by the “doublet earthquake” that struck Davao Oriental last Friday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported on Sunday.
In its 6 a.m. situational report, the NDRRMC said an estimated 125,283 families, or 491,258 individuals, were impacted by the twin quakes.
Of these, 1,939 families (8,440 individuals) were staying in 14 evacuation centers, while 52 families (192 individuals) were receiving assistance outside evacuation centers.
The report showed that 66,366 affected families, or 280,868 individuals, were from the Davao Region, while 58,917 families, or 210,390 individuals, were from the Caraga Region.
Authorities said eight reported fatalities and 100 injuries were still being validated, while 295 injuries had been confirmed.
A total of 2,155 houses were damaged across the Davao and Caraga regions, along with 273 infrastructure facilities, with estimated losses reaching ₱100.26 million.
The NDRRMC also said ₱26.5 million worth of assistance had been distributed to 70,676 affected families in both regions.
Meanwhile, in a press conference on Saturday, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian assured the affected residents of assistance such as food packs and temporary shelters.
The DSWD has more than 100,000 boxes of family food packs across various warehouses in Davao Region. Aside from this, Gatchalian said he discussed with Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon the establishment of temporary shelters in affected areas.
“He (Dizon) coordinated with the Philippine Red Cross and the agency and Red Cross will help in building temporary shelters for the families whose houses were damaged and are in need of temporary shelters,” Gatchalian said.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) previously said that the magnitude 7.4 and 6.8 earthquakes that struck off Davao Oriental may be considered a “doublet earthquake.”
Phivolcs explained that a “doublet earthquake” refers to distinct or different earthquakes that occurred in almost the same area “with two (or more) main shocks that have slight difference in magnitude.”
The epicenter of the magnitude 7.4 earthquake was located 62 kilometers southeast of Manay in Davao Oriental at 9:43 a.m. while the magnitude 6.9 earthquake was traced 36 kilometers southeast of the same town at 7:12 p.m. last Friday, October 10.
