NDRRMC validating fatality reports
FIVE people were reported to have died and seven others injured due to the onslaught of “Aghon,” the country’s first tropical cyclone for this year that intensified into a typhoon on Sunday night.
However, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said these deaths are still subject to validation, thus cannot yet be included in the agency’s official fatality count.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Aghon, may exit the Philippine area of responsibility on Wednesday afternoon or evening as a typhoon.
As of 4 p.m. yesterday, Aghon was some 155 km east of Casiguran, Aurora, PAGASA said. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 140 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 170 kph, moving east northeast at 10 kph and continuing to move away from the landmass.
“Aghon will continue to intensify over the next 24 to 36 hours as it moves northeastward over the Philippine Sea,” PAGASA said.
“A weakening trend may begin on mid or late Wednesday as the typhoon begins interacting with the mid-latitude environment and undergo post-tropical transition,” it added.
From over 20 on Sunday, six areas were under Signal No. 1 yesterday. These are the eastern portion of Quirino, southern portion of Nueva Vizcaya, eastern portion of Isabela, Aurora, northern portion of Quezon (including Polillo Islands), and northwestern portion of Camarines Norte (including Calaguas Islands).
The NDRRMC said five regions were affected by Aghon — Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Eastern Visayas and Metro Manila. Initial assessments pointed to Calabarzon and Bicol as the worst hit.
NDRRMC spokesman Edgar Posadas, in a press briefing yesterday afternoon, said four of the reported deaths were in Calabarzon, particularly in Quezon, and the fifth in Northern Mindanao.
Posadas said the deaths in Quezon were due to flooding and fallen trees. One of the fatalities in the province, he said, was a child.
Posadas said the fatality in Northern Mindanao is an adult male but did not give further details.
“Unfortunately, we have reports of five (deaths)… Again, these five (deaths) are still for validation, they were just reported,” he said.
Posadas said the verification will be conducted by the Management of the Dead and Missing Cluster under the Department of Interior and Local Government.
“They have a process how to validate this, how to confirm, validate to determine if the death of one person is related directly to a particular disaster,” he said.
Earlier yesterday, police and local government officials reported four deaths in Quezon and Batangas.
On Sunday, two deaths were reported — one in Misamis Oriental due to fallen tree and another in Laguna due to drowning.
Yesterday, the Calabarzon police regional office reported three deaths in Quezon, including a seven-month-old boy whose body was found Sunday floating at sea adjacent to Sitio Resettlement in Barangay Ilayang Polo in Pagbilao town.
Leo Regario and his three brothers found boy’s body and brought it to the barangay hall. Police did not identify the boy.
The second fatality was identified as 14-year-old John Rey Ortiz de Ramos of Purok Pagkakaisa 2, Barangay Ibabang Iyam in Lucena City.
FALLEN TREES
Police said De Ramos was sleeping in their house when a buli tree fell due to strong winds and rains and hit their residence at around noon on Sunday.
The third fatality fatality, who was not identified, perished after his house was hit by a fallen acacia tree in San Antonio town.
The incident was reported to the local police by councilor Adrian Escueta of Barangay Sampaga in San Antonio town at around 10:30 a.m. Sunday
Meanwhile, Batangas provincial disaster risk reduction office chief Dr. Amor Calayan said one fatality was recorded in the province.
“We have one fatality due to electrocution,” said Calayan. She said there were two other “casualties,” one hit by fallen tree and the other by an iron sheet, but did not say if the two died.
Ricardo Nepomuceno, NDRRMC executive director and administrator of the Office of Civil Defense, said the council has yet to record any confirmed fatality.
“Fortunately, we have no reports of deaths but some were injured,” said Nepomuceno.
Dr. Melchor Avenilla Jr., chief of the Quezon provincial disaster risk reduction and management office, said reports of fatalities in Quezon are still subject to verification.
Randy dela Paz, spokesman of the Office of Civil Defense-Calabarzon said, “So far, we have yet to record casualties — either missing or dead.” He said they are still gathering information if there are indeed fatalities in the region.
In a situation report, the NDRRMC said seven were injured due to Aghon — all in the Bicol region.
AFFECTED FAMILIES
The NDRRMC said 8,465 families or 19,373 individuals were affected in the Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, and Eastern Visayas regions.
Of the number, 5,987 families or 3,278 individuals were displaced. However, the number was already down to 1,478 families or 5,343 individuals yesterday morning due to improved weather condition.
The NDRRMC said it recorded 13 incidents of flooding, three rain-induced landslides, three incidents of uprooting of trees, and a tornado incident in Mimaropa, Bicol, and the Eastern Visayas.
It said power interruptions were reported in 52 cities and municipalities in Mimaropa, Bicol, and Eastern Visayas. He said power has been restored in 46 of these areas.
QUEZON
Nepomuceno, who visited Quezon on Sunday, said 17 barangays in Lucena City were flooded due to rains brought by Aghon. He said the flooding was a high as six to eight feet.
“As of this morning, we are still waiting reports on damage to agriculture,” he said.
Lucena City was placed under state of calamity on Sunday “due to the devastating effects of typhoon Aghon,” the city government said on its Facebook page.
Avenilla said the provincial disaster risk reduction and management council came up with a resolution yesterday, recommending to the Sanguniang Panlalawigan or to the provincial council the declaration of state of calamity of the first and second districts of the province.
He said the provincial council is scheduled to tackle the recommendation this afternoon.
Avenilla said 23,000 residents were displaced by Aghon but majority of them already returned to their homes yesterday.
Citing results of their initial damage assessment, Avenilla said, “The damage is more on the agriculture, not so much on structures… Its really the agriculture (sector) that was devastated in Quezon province.”
Avenilla said flooding in Lucena City and in Mauban town were as high as one-story building. Floods were receding yesterday.
Avenilla said 271 houses were initially reported damaged.
“This (figure) does not include those in Lucena and Polillo Group of Islands which was earlier placed under Signal No. 3,” he said.
Asked if there are isolated barangays in the province, Avenilla said, “In the mainland, almost all are accessible. In the Polillo Group of Islands, we are still validating.”
Avenilla said they will get a clearer picture as to the effects of Aghon when they receive more reports from the ground.
AID
President Marcos Jr yesterday said the national government has P3 billion worth of funds and prepositioned food and non-food relief items on standby that are ready for distribution to communities affected by Aghon.
Over P1.2 million worth of assistance has been distributed to those affected, the President said in his official X and Facebook accounts.
Data from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Disaster Response Management bureau showed that Aghon has affected 12,043 families (26,726 persons) from 240 barangays in the Calabarzon (IV-A), Mimaropa (IV-B), Bicol (V), Western Visayas (VI), Central Visayas (VII), and Eastern Visayas (VIII) regions.
A total of 3887 families (13,230 persons) have been displaced.
DSWD assistant secretary and spokeswoman Irene Dumlao said of this number, 2517 families (8,839 individuals) are currently staying in 165 evacuation centers while 1,370 (5,391 persons) are staying with families or friends.
She said that P1.35 million worth of aid, mostly food packs and non-food items such as hygiene and sleeping kits, have already been distributed by the department to the displaced families in the provinces of Marinduque, Oriental Mindoro, Albay, Camarines Sur and Sorsogon.
She said the department still has P3.077 billion, composed of P607.9 million funds and P2.469 million stockpiles of food and non-food relief items, on standby.
Dumlao reminded affected citizens to follow orders of authorities for the orderly distribution of assistance in their respective areas. — With Jocelyn Montemayor
