50,000 individuals remain in evacuation centers – NDRRMC
Nearly a week after Super Typhoon “Egay” left the country, around 50,000 individuals were still staying in evacuation centers due to the devastation brought by the recent calamity.
*(L-R) Defense Secretary and NDRRMC Chairperson Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and
**Civil Defense Director Cesar Idio gesture monitor the effects of Super Typhoon 'Egay' and 'habagat' at the NDRRM Operations Center in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on July 29, 2023. (File photo: Fred Abuda / via NDRRMC)
* The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said in a situational report dated Tuesday, August 1, that a total of 668,974 families composed of 2,452,738 individuals were affected by Egay and the enhanced effects of southwest monsoon (habagat) in Ilocos (Region 1), Cagayan Valley (Region 2), Central Luzon (Region 3), Calabarzon (Region 4A), Mimaropa (Region 4B), Bicol (Region 5), Western Visayas (Region 6), Northern Mindanao (Region 10), Davao (Region 11), Soccsksargen (Region 12), Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), and National Capital Region (NCR). Of this, there were 13,718 families or 50,467 individuals who were temporarily staying in 736 evacuation centers across the 13 affected regions. The death toll stood at 25 while there remains 13 individuals who were still missing in three regions: eight in CAR, four Region 2, and one Region 1. Among the reasons why many evacuees could not go back to their communities was because their houses were destroyed by the typhoon. The NDRRMC said a total of 41,591 houses were either totally destroyed or partially damaged by Egay and habagat. Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary and NDRRMC Chairperson Gilberto Teodoro Jr. assured the evacuees that there are enough relief assistance for them to help them cope with the effects of the typhoon. “The Department of National Defense wants to be a bridge between concerted national government assistance and efforts in all these aspects and the local government units. The AFP [Armed Forces of the Philippines] works hand-in-hand with the Office of the Civil Defense to ensure immediate and efficient response in times of crisis,” he said. A total of P153.9 million worth of relief assistance was distributed by the national government to the typhoon victims which include family food packs, water, family tents, hygiene kits, shelter repair kits, and cash assistance among others.