THE death toll due to typhoon Carina, the southwest monsoon locally called habagat and the tropical depression Butchoy has risen to 35, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
Meanwhile, SM Supermalls and SM Foundation Inc. have launched Operation Tulong Express to extend immediate assistance to the typhoon-hit communities.
In its latest bulletin issued Monday, the NDRRMC said 14 of the 36 have been confirmed, while 22 other reported deaths were still being verified.
The agency also said six people were injured, while three were missing.
Moreover, the council said typhoon Carina, tropical depression Butchoy, and habagat affected a total of 4,553,762 individuals or 1,240,090 families.
According to NDRRMC, 1,598 houses were damaged, 1,393 of them partially and 205 totally destroyed.
Damage to agriculture hit P355 million, affecting 20,802 farmers and fishermen.
The government has distributed P3 billion worth of assistance for the victims, the NDRRMC said.
As this developed, relief operations were in full swing in Caloocan City where over 1,000 families received “kalinga packs” that contained rice, canned sardines, instant noodles, and bottled waters.
SM City Grand Central and SM Center Sangandaan focused their outreach activities on the hardest-hit areas of the city such as Maypajo and Barangays 3 and 4.
Typhoon and flood victims in Malabon City likewise also received relief packs from SM Savemore Malabon.
Volunteer workers conducted door-to-door operations, bringing relief packs to indigent families in barangaysTañong and Potrero. This initiative, done in collaboration with local rescue teams,
ensured that individuals and families unable to reach centralized relief centers get the goodies even without leaving their homes.
In Valenzuela City, the local SM mall handed out a total of 1,200 relief packs to evacuees at the Pinalagad Elementary School, the Malinta National High School, and the Malinta Elementary School.
The Kalinga pack distribution effort is part of Operation Tulong Express (OPTE), a corporate social responsibility program of SM Foundation in collaboration with SM Supermalls and SM Markets. It aims to address the needs of communities during calamities and crises.
