The damage to infrastructure and agriculture wrought by heavy rains due to tropical two cyclones and southwest monsoon reached around P3 billion as a result of widespread flooding and other adverse effects of the downpour.

As of Thursday morning, Aug 13, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), said the damage to infrastructure is now at around P2.65 billion after bridges and road networks were affected.

The agricultural damage is currently at P347 million.

The figures were based on the latest assessment of the impact of tropical cyclones “Luis” and “Maymay”, as well as the southwest monsoon (habagat), which has been continuously inducing heavy rains in various parts of Luzon and the Visayas.

The bad news, however, is that the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said that habagat will continue to bring rains over Luzon and parts of Western Visayas.

Occasional moderate to heavy rains may persist in Zambales and Bataan.

Meanwhile, cloudy skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms may prevail over Metro Manila, Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Cagayan Valley, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon, Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan, the rest of Central Luzon, Camarines Norte, Aklan, Antique, and Capiz.

PAGASA weather specialist Leanne Loreto warned that the monsoon rains could trigger flooding and landslides, particularly in areas that have received significant rainfall in the past few days.

26 dead

In its data, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) recorded 21 fatalities, all of them are still for validation.

The Philippine National Police (PNP), however, said the death toll from the three weather disturbances is now 26, most of them due to landslides including the incident in Baguio City that left 16 people dead.

Seven fatalities were reported in Batangas and Rizal while one each in Pangasinan and La Union. Also included in the fatality list was the policeman who drowned in Negros Island Region while trying to save his two police buddies.

Two people are still on the missing list in Calabarzon while the PNP also recorded 15 injured.

Displaced

The weather disturbances also displaced more than 15,000 families composed of 53,570 people who are still staying in various evacuation centers in 10 regions.

They are part of the 1.087 million families, composed of 3.7 million individuals who were affected by the heavy rains.

The OCD also reported a total of 1,336 partially damaged houses and 103 totally damaged houses, mostly due to widespread flooding.

So far, the national government has provided over P458 million in assistance packages to the affected residents.