Super Typhoon 'Egay', 'habagat' affect 16.8K people
Published Jul 25, 2023 05:03 am
A total of 4,554 families composed of 16,888 individuals were already affected by the combined effects of Super Typhoon “Egay” and southwest monsoon (habagat), the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported Tuesday, July 25.
*A passenger sleeps on a blanket laid on the ground after being stranded at the Manila North Port in Manila on July 25, 2023 due to Super Typhoon Egay and southwest monsoon (habagat). Photo: Philippine Coast Guard / Facebook)
* A situational report from the NDRRMC showed that those affected came from 28 barangays in Pangasinan in Ilocos Region (Region 1); Cavite in Calabarzon (Region 4A); Catanduanes in Bicol Region (Region 5); Negros Occidental in Western Visayas (Region 6); and Misamis Oriental in Northern Mindanao (Region 10). There were also 16 families or 38 individuals who were staying in three evacuation centers in Regions 1, 4A, and 6. So far, the NDRRMC has yet to record a fatality although one person was injured in Western Visayas. A total of four roads and seven bridges were deemed impassable in Cagayan Valley (Region 2), Region 5, Region 6, and Eastern Visayas (Region 8) due to landslides and flooding. There were eight houses that were also damaged by the strong rains and punishing winds in Regions 6 and 10. Meanwhile, the initial amount of damage to infrastructure was estimated at P1.5 million in Region 6. Damage to agriculture, on the other hand, has yet to be validated. The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said a total of 9,682 passengers, 75 vessels, 1,834 rolling cargoes, and 27 motorbancas were stranded in various ports in Bicol, Eastern Visayas, Southern Tagalog, National Capital Region, and Central Luzon due to Egay.Relief for Isabela residents
In Isabela province, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) said basic necessities such as food and water are temporarily being sourced through big grocery stores as some areas in its coastal towns could not be accessed via land or air travel. \*\*“\*\*Ang mga coastal towns dito sa Isabela, wala pong access by land kaya mahirap pong magdala ng mga relief packs doon. Kailangan via air na hindi naman pwede ngayon. Kailangan via sea na hindi rin pwede ngayon (The coastal towns in Isabela could not be accessed via land tavel so it’s difficult to bring relief packs there. It needs to be done via air travel which we cannot do right now. It needs to be done via sea travel which we also cannot do right now),” Isabela PDRRMO chief Constante Foronda said in a radio interview with dzBB. “Ang ginagawa po ganito, mayroon po kaming arrangement doon sa mga tindahan, mga medyo malaki-laki na mga grocery stores na doon po kukuha ang mga local DRRMO officials at saka local social welfare offices. Kukuha sila doon at bayaran na lang po ng probinsya later on (What we do is we have an arrangement with big grocery stores where local DRRMO officials and local social welfare offices can get groceries from them. They would get the items and the province will pay them later on),” the PDRRMO chief added.Evacuation in Cagayan
In Region 2, residents in coastal barangays in Cagayan province were ordered to evacuate because of the threat of a storm surge. “Ang lahat ng northwestern and northeastern municipalities natin dito, mga northern muncipalities natin ay pinapalikas na po ‘yung mga coastal barangays natin because of a three-meter storm surge nga po na maaaring epekto nitong si super typhoon (All of the northwestern, northeastern, and northern municipalities have been evacuating [residents] in coastal barangays because of a three-meter storm surge possibly due to the super typhoon),” Cagayan PDRRMO chief Rueli Rapsing said. Rapsing said the number of those evacuated has yet to be consolidated by the PDRRMO although it involves residents from 10 municipalities. A red alert status has been raised in the entire Cagayan which activates all the evacuation centers, emergency operations centers in each of the 28 municipalities and one city, and incident management teams. “Bukod sa highly susceptible sa flood, the eastern municipalities of Cagayan po ay highly susceptible sa rain-induced landslides. Lahat po ito madadaanan ni Egay facing the Pacific [Ocean] (Aside from being highly-susceptible to flood, the eastern municipalities of Cagayan are also highly-susceptible to rain-induced landslides. Egay will pass through all of these areas facing the Pacific [Ocean]),” Rapsing said. Rapsing assured the affected residents that there are enough food, water, and other essential supplies for them as the local office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Region 2 prepositioned the relief items. “Nakapreposition po ang food items natin sa mga warehouse sa subcapitol sa Lal-lo and sa capitol. Ang non-food items may seven stations po tayo ng quick response teams under Task Force Lingkod Cagayan ng PDRRMO (Our food items were prepositioned in the warehouses in the sub-capitol in Lal-lo and at the capitol. For our non-food items, we have them at seven stations from the quick response teams under Task Force Lingkod Cagayan of the PDRRMO),” Rapsing noted.