Over 53,000 people remain displaced nearly two weeks after a powerful magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Abra, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said Sunday.
NDRRMC said some 53,338 individuals, most of them staying outside evacuation centers, have not yet returned to their homes since the July 27 earthquake that affected more than half a million people across three regions in Luzon.
At least 20 evacuation centers remain open, catering to 1,310 people.
In the quake’s aftermath, some 34,699 houses were partially damaged, while 628 others were destroyed.
Damage to infrastructure was placed at around P1.593 billion while damage to agriculture was estimated at P55.9 million, the NDRRMC said.
The agency said some 1,519 infrastructures were damaged across the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, and Cordillera Administrative Region.
The death toll remained at 11, while the number of injured individuals increased to 567.
A total of 29 cities and municipalities also declared a state of calamity due to the recent earthquake. NDRRMC spokesperson Mark Timbal said due to the Abra earthquake, simulation exercises may be conducted anew.
“Our President had said that all the lessons we learned in the Abra earthquake will be included in all our preparations for future emergencies. It’s possible that the government will conduct large simulation exercises again for that kind of a major emergency,” Timbal said in a radio interview.