Damage due to rains, floods nears P900M

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

MANILA -- The rains that battered 23 provinces in nearly two weeks damaged P900 million worth of properties and crops as the state weather bureau warned of more rainy days ahead in the eastern part of the country.

Eastern Samar also joined the list of areas under state of calamity after it reported six fatalities, while the provincial government asked residents in 25 villages to remain in evacuation centers until the water level in rivers subside.

In its Wednesday bulletin, the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) said damage to rains and floods has reached P898.26 million, which includes P286.77 million losses to agriculture, P593.49 million to infrastructure and P20.99 million to private properties.

Seven more people were added in the death toll, raising the number of fatalities to 40. As of this posting, the agency recorded eight injured while seven are still missing.

The massive flooding likewise sidelined 248,223 families or 1,294,039 people in the regions of Bicol, Central Visayas, Eastern Samar, Northern Mindanao, Caraga, Davao, and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)