THE National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) yesterday said the number of people affected by the magnitude 7 earthquake that hit Abra last July 27 has breached the half-million mark, while the cost of damage to infrastructure rose to P1.59 billion.
In a situational report, the NDRRMC said it has accounted 136,612 families or 502,462 people who were affected by the quake in 1,329 barangays in the Ilocos region (Region I), Cagayan Valley (Region II) and Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).
Abra has the highest number of affected families at 77,488 or 264,266 people, followed by Ilocos Sur with 35,160 families or 140,451 people, and Benguet with 14,206 families or 59,387 people.
Of the total affected population, the NDRRMC said 14,769 families or 53,338 people are still displaced — 368 families or 1,310 persons are staying in 20 evacuation centers and 14,401 persons or 52,028 are living with their relatives or friends.
The death toll from the quake has been placed at 11 people — of which 10 are in CAR and one is in Ilocos region). The number of injured was pegged at 574 (538 in CAR, 34 in Ilocos region and two in Cagayan Valley).
On the other hand, figures from the Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Center (DROMIC) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) showed that as of August 6, 136,254 families or 514,377 persons from 1,324 barangays in Ilocos, Cagayan Valley and CAR were affected by the earthquake that hit many areas in northern Luzon last July 27.
Of this, 14,818 families or 51,920 persons were displaced and taking temporary shelter either in 26 evacuation centers (391 families or 1,411 persons) or with their relatives and/or friends (14,427 families or 50,509 persons).
Many of those affected are in CAR, which consist of 348,370 persons or 94,487 families from 583 barangays, followed by those in the Ilocos region or 150,849 persons or 37,875 persons from 587 barangays, and four persons or one family from one barangay in Cagayan Valley.
At the same time, the NDRRMC said the cost of damage to infrastructure in Ilocos region, Cagayan Valley, and CAR has risen to P1.59 billion, from P1.34 billion as of last Saturday.
The CAR registered the most damage at P837.81 million, while Ilocos region and Cagayan Valley had P724.01 million and P32.02 million, respectively.
The NDRRMC also reported damage to infrastructure in Central Luzon and National Capital Region but did not say the corresponding amount.
The cost of damage to agriculture remained at P32.22 million in CAR only.
The NDRRMC said the quake also damaged 35,327 houses in Ilocos region, Cagayan Valley, CAR and NCR. The cost of the damage to houses is not yet available.
DSWD numbers are slightly lower at 34,318 damaged houses.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said it has recorded a total 3,097 aftershocks from the quake as of 11 a.m. yesterday, ranging from magnitude 1.4 to 5.1.
AID
The NDRRMC said some P119.94 million worth of assistance have already been provided, including P51.35 million worth of food packs for affected population, with Abra getting bulk of the aid at P105.85 million.
The DSWD said a total of P95.6 million worth of assistance has already been provided to affected families, which includes the P74.89 million from the DSWD, P8.66 million from different local government units (LGUs), P11.4 million from non-government organizations (NGOs), and P639,970 from other private partners.
The DSWD also provided shelter assistance ranging from P5,000 to P10,000 depending on the extent of the damage sustained by the victims’ houses.
The figures do not include the P10 million worth of relief goods that were donated by the Philippine Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Inc. and China Investment & Real Estate Co., Ltd yesterday.
DSWD Assistant Secretary Rommel Lopez received the relief items and thanked the business sector for their donation. He assured the donors that the relief packs will go to quake-affected families. — With Jocelyn Montemayor
