More than 285,000 individuals that were affected by typhoon Odette are still seeking temporary shelter in evacuation centers on Christmas day, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) reported.
On its official Facebook page, the DSWD reported that 285,267 people or 70,998 families spent their Christmas in 1,204 evacuation centers in 10 regions affected by the typhoon. The figure was as of 6 a.m., Dec. 25.
The displaced residents were from Bicol, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, Soccsksargen, Mimaropa, and Caraga.
The DSWD also reported that 108,082 houses were totally damaged, while 216,371 sustained partial damage.
The agency also said that the total number of people that were affected by the onslaught of Odette grew to 3,918,689 or 1,000,742 families in 5,892 barangays.
“Ongoing assessment and validation are continuously being conducted,” the DSWD said.
Meanwhile, a total of P104,317,486 worth of humanitarian assistance has been provided to affected families, the DSWD said.
The said assistance was given by the agency, local government units (LGUs), and non-government organizations (NGOs), it said.