Nine people died as a result of the impact of tropical cyclones Nika, Ofel, and Pepito, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Wednesday.
The NDRRMC’s latest situational report notes that the fatalities have yet to be fully confirmed.
In Ambaguio, Nueva Vizcaya, seven individuals, including an 8-year-old child, were killed in a landslide caused by Super Typhoon Pepito.
Another death was reported in Daet, Camarines Norte; however, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) clarified that this was due to a vehicular accident, not the cyclone.
Additionally, four individuals are still missing, and 16 others have been injured.
The storms have affected over 3 million people, or 820,000 families, across 34 provinces. A total of 442,857 people have been displaced, with more than 2,000 still residing in evacuation centers.
The damage caused by the storms is estimated at P1.5 billion for infrastructure and P8.6 million for agriculture.
According to the Department of Agriculture, the combined damage from the storms—including those from Cyclone Kristine to Ofel—has exceeded P10 billion.
Nika, Ofel, and Pepito have also caused damage to 22,421 homes and disrupted 430 roads and 107 bridges nationwide, as reported by the NDRRMC. As a result of the storms, 21 cities and municipalities have declared a state of calamity.
Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Assistant Secretary Cesar Idio emphasized that the government’s primary concern now is to meet the needs of storm-affected communities.
He noted that they are currently assessing damages caused by the typhoon; however, overall, the situation in Central Luzon remains manageable.
“As of now, we have not received reports on any casualties, thank God. This is because of our prompt action and the implementation of preventive or preemptive evacuations. This is key to our success,” Idio stated during a press briefing organized by the Presidential Communications Office and the OCD.
“Two Black Hawk helicopters were sent to Catanduanes earlier to bring initial relief items. The air assets will also conduct an aerial survey,” he added.
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla lauded local government units (LGUs) for their quick and efficient preemptive evacuation of residents, which led to only a few casualties during Super Typhoon Pepito’s onslaught.
He also emphasized that a significant lesson from these successive tropical cyclones is for LGUs to be firm in implementing forced evacuations and for the public to heed local authorities’ directives.
“If people refuse to leave their homes when told to evacuate, then they should be removed from their houses rather than risk death. When our authorities say evacuate, please evacuate,” he stressed.
