The national government is working double time to rehabilitate areas that were devastated by Super Typhoon “Pepito” as the death toll increased to nine, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said on Wednesday, Nov. 20.
Two deaths were being validated by the NDRRMC aside from the seven fatalities that were already confirmed following a deadly landslide in Ambaguio, Nueva Vizcaya.
“The nine fatalities were all due to Pepito. The situation could have been worse due to the series of typhoons but maybe we were able to avoid a higher death toll because we implemented forced evacuation,” NDRRMC Executive Director Ariel Nepomuceno said.
Four persons remained missing including the parents of a young girl who survived the Ambaguio landslide.
“In Nueva [Vizcaya], a husband and wife along with their 10-year-old girl were buried by a landslide that also killed seven people. What’s good here is that the girl was already found. The parents, however, are still missing,” Nepomuceno said.
However, the NDRRMC executive noted that Catanduanes was the wort-hit province by Pepito.
A 15-man humanitarian contingent from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) was deployed to Catanduanes to provide clean water to residents affected by Pepito.
The team consists of personnel from the Public Safety Division and Road Emergency Group which will deliver essential aid to the typhoon victims.
The team carries with them 40 units of solar-powered water filtration system, each unit capable of filtering 180 gallons of water per hour.
The equipment is vital for addressing the immediate water needs of the affected communities.
Damage
Meanwhile, the combined effects of Pepito, and typhoons “Nika” and “Ofel” resulted to P1.56 billion worth of damage to agriculture and infrastructure.
The three cyclones affected three million individuals, of which, 442,857 persons were displaced and being sheltered in 2,693 evacuation centers.
The cost of damage to infrastructure was P1,549,792,274.36 while agricultural loss reached P 8,640,199.46.
The government has distributed P143 million worth of assistance to the typhoon victims.