At least 11 people died while more than 500,000 individuals were affected by the onslaught of super typhoon “Nando”, the Office of Civil Defense said on Thursday, Sept. 25.

Of the 11 reported fatalities, OCD administrator Undersecretary Harold Cabreros said seven of them died in Cagayan after their boat capsized off the waters of Sta, Ana town; two in Bataan and one in Cagayan due to fallen debris; and one in Benguet due to landslide.

“These reports are still subject to validation,” said Cabreros as he clarified that the two previously reported fatalities in Aurora, initially linked to tropical cyclone “Mirasol”, have been ruled unrelated to the weather disturbance.

On the other hand, he said the 508,000 affected individuals were from around 147,000 families from across 1,975 barangays in the regions of Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Cordillera Administrative Region ( CAR ), Western Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, National Capital Region (NCR), MIMAROPA, and Bicol.

He said the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) has already activated response clusters as operations continue for both “Nando” and severe tropical storm “Opong”.

These clusters, he said, include Logistics; Food and Non-Food Items; Search, Rescue, and Retrieval; Health; Law and Order; Camp Coordination and Camp Management; Internally Displaced Persons Protection; Crisis Communications; Education; Emergency Telecommunications; and Debris Clearing and Civil Works.

Cabreros said the initial estimate for agricultural damage is P15.3 million, with P14 million reported in the Ilocos Region; P 861,000 in Western Visayas; and, P488,000 in Calabarzon.

He said an estimated P 15.3 million in agricultural damage affecting 744 hectares and resulting in a loss of 1,360 metric tons has affected 909 farmers.

So fat, the national government has provided around P11 million in assistance to affected families, with relief operations ongoing.

“Various government agencies have assured that additional food and non-food aid are available for distribution and will be further augmented as needed,” said Cabreros.