The Philippine National Police reported today that at least 56 people remain missing after the typhoon, which caused great devastation on several islands.
At least 375 people died in the Philippines due to Typhoon Rai, which raged between Thursday and Saturday, while emergency services continue to struggle on Monday to deliver aid to hundreds of thousands of victims.
The Philippine National Police reported today that at least 56 people remain missing after the typhoon, which caused great devastation on islands in the central region of the country such as Siargao, with much of the homes destroyed and with a lack of electricity, water and food .
Shantytowns and poor-quality buildings exacerbate typhoons, which are becoming increasingly violent in the Philippines due to the climate crisis.
According to the official report, the most affected province is Central Visayas, as well as the regions of Caraga, Western Visayas, North Mindanao, Eastern Visayas and Zamboanga, according to the Philippine channel GMA.
Gusts of up to 240 kilometers per hour
The typhoon, which made landfall on Thursday with wind gusts of up to 240 kilometers per hour, crossed from east to west on some nine islands where it has caused significant damage to homes and infrastructure, in addition to leaving at least 500 people injured.
“Many people call this place home, it is devastating to see this devastation,” the NGO Plan International Philippines said on Twitter along with photos of collapsed houses in Siargao.
“Disheartening our IOM_Filipinas team reporting on the complete devastation in Massin, Southern Leyte. 90% of the accommodations damaged, urgent need for food, lodging, electricity, sanitary kits and more,” said the president of the Organization. International Migration Agency (IOM) in the Philippines, Kristin Dadey.
Faced with the protests of those affected by the slowness with which aid arrives, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte asked for patience over the weekend and promised 2,000 million pesos (about 40 million dollars or 35 million euros).
According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), there are more than 442,000 displaced people and close to a million affected by the typhoon.
The NDRRMC noted that Rai damaged 3,800 homes, while leaving 227 towns without power and causing deterioration in 41 affected roads and 4 bridges.
Due to the slow process of confirmation of the victims, the disaster council estimates the dead at 58, as well as 18 missing and 199 injured, data significantly lower than those offered by the National Police.
Typhoon fifteenth in the year
The onslaught of the typhoon, known as Odette in the country and the fifteenth to hit the Philippines this year, has struck at a delicate moment due to fear over the new omicron variant of the coronavirus.
RAI left the Philippines on Saturday after causing flooding and landslides, cutting off communications in many towns in the Visayas and Mindanao regions.
Many provinces, including Cebu, Bohol and Guimaras, have been declared disaster areas due to the damage suffered.
An average of 20 typhoons hit the Philippines each year, the most destructive was Super Typhoon Haiyan, the largest in recent Philippine history, which struck the islands of Samar and Leyte in November 2013, killing some 7,000 people and leaving 200,000 families behind. homeless.
The Philippines is one of the countries most vulnerable to the climate crisis due to natural disasters and, in addition, it sits on the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire”, an area that accumulates around 90% of the seismic and volcanic activity on the planet . (I)
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