COST of damage to infrastructure and agriculture due to super typhoon “Egay” has reached P6.57 billion, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
The figure is around P812 million away from matching the country’s sixth most destructive tropical typhoon, severe tropical storm “Maring,” in the last five years.
Maring wreaked havoc in 2021, causing P7.38 billion in damage to infrastructure (P4.06 billion) and agriculture (P3.32 billion).
The NDRRMC said Egay, which hit the country late last month, has so far left P3.63 billion in damage to infrastructure in eight regions — Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas and Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).
It said Egay also caused P2.94 billion in damage to agriculture in Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Western Visayas and CAR.
CAR registered the highest damage to infrastructure at P2.26 billion while Cagayan Valley incurred most of the agricultural damage at P1.75 billion.
Egay has also “partially” and “totally” damaged 60,991 houses in 13 regions, 20,148 of which are in Ilocos, 19,020 in CAR, and 17,477 in Cagayan Valley.
Egay’s death toll is 29, with 11 missing and 165 injured.
Fourteen of the fatalities are in CAR, eight in Ilocos, four in Calabarzon, two in Western Visayas and one in Davao.
The number of affected population is at 806,836 families or 3,032,077 individuals. They are from in 4,833 barangays in 14 regions — Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Davao, Soccsksargen, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), CAR and National Capital Region (NCR).
Of the number, 13,779 families or 51,5931 individuals are still housed at 648 evacuation centers as of yesterday. It said 57,985 families or 233,609 individuals are staying with their relatives or friends.
The NDRRMC said P269.44 million in assistance, mostly food packs, have been already provided to those affected, specifically in Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Davao, BARMM, CAR and NCR.
Eleven provinces and 19 cities and municipalities have declared a state of calamity.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said about P410 million worth of food and non-food relief items have been distributed to families affected by typhoons Egay and the succeeding storm “Falcon.”
President Marcos Jr., in a Vlog released on Saturday night, assured the affected communities that the national government will not stop assisting them until they are able to get back on their feet. — With Jocelyn Montemayor
