Two people went missing in the Negros Island Region (NIR) as the combined effects of Severe Tropical Storm “Verbena” and the shearline swept across five regions in Visayas and Mindanao, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported on Wednesday, Nov. 26.

Search and rescue operations were conducted by local responders and community volunteers to find the missing persons after they were believed to have been swept away in flood-affected areas in Bais City and La Libertad, both in Negros Oriental

“So far, we have no confirmed casualties but we received reports that are still for validation of two missing individuals: one in Bais City, Negros Oriental, and another in La Libertad, Negros Oriental. These reports are currently being validated but as of now, we have no confirmed deaths or injuries,” he said.

He added that coordination was made with barangay emergency teams, local police, and rescue units to verify the circumstances surrounding the incident and to widen the search perimeter.

Meanwhile, a total of 78,736 families or 275,458 persons were affected in 473 barangays across Mimaropa (Region 4B), Western Visayas (Region 6), NIR, Central Visayas (Region 7), and Caraga (Region 13).

The weather disturbances displaced 22,235 families or 82,827 individuals, including 48,450 persons staying in 469 evacuation centers while 34,377 others were assisted outside government facilities.

Flooding, landslides

Alejandro said widespread flooding affected 122 areas at the height of the storm. While 23 areas had already cleared and 53 were subsiding, 46 remained flooded across Mimaropa, Region 6, NIR, Eastern Visayas (Region 8), and Caraga.

Alejandro said continuous rains over the past four to five weeks due to back-to-back Typhoon “Tino” and Super Typhoon “Uwan” left soils saturated, worsening flooding in several areas in the Visayas.

“Compared to the two previous storms, this one is relatively weaker but we are still continuously gathering reports. But there was flooding because it really brought a lot of rain. Verbena also passed through the Visayas and the areas previously hit by Uwan or Tino were the same areas that experienced flooding again,” he said.

Ten rain-induced landslides were also reported: eight in Caraga and two in Western Visayas.

Road access remained limited with 37 road sections and five bridges affected in Calabarzon (Region 4A), Region 6, NIR, and Caraga.

Power outages also hit 19 cities and municipalities across several regions although electricity had been restored in all but one locality in Central Visayas. One area in Western Visayas also remained without communication lines.

“As of now, only one area is still experiencing a power outage but it was be restored soon. Road damage was minimal, only 25 roads were closed, but they will be reopened and repaired right away and open one lane,” Alejandro said.

Authorities also reported 95 damaged houses, 82 partially and 13 totally destroyed, in Region 6, NIR, and Caraga.

“In terms of houses, damage was very limited with 82 houses partially damaged and 13 were destroyed. Compared to the two previous storms, the situation this time was relatively less severe,” Alejandro said.

As to the amount of damage to agriculture and infrastructure, Alejandro said concerned agencies were still assessing Verbena’s impact to prevent overlap with those from previous storms given that the same areas were hit consecutively.

Relief supplies remain sufficient

According to NDRRMC, a total of 34,124 families or 130,195 individuals were pre-emptively evacuated as local government units moved residents away from high-risk zones ahead of heavy rains and possible landslides.

Despite the high number of evacuees, Alejandro assured that relief supplies remained adequate. He bared that both the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the OCD have enough resources until the end of the year.

“It has not been depleted yet. There are still reserves available. The DSWD still has almost P2 billion and we, at OCD, have resources available until December as we continue purchasing equipment and relief items,” he said.