Saturday, August 11, 2007 Death toll in storms rises to 6
THE number of fatalities casualties from tropical storms Chedeng and Dodong which have already left the country has increased Friday to six and seven injured, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) reported.
Three of the fatalities were from Bulacan province, two in Baguio City, and one from Abra. Most of the fatalities died in landslides.
Six were pinned down by a wall that collapsed while the seventh got injured in a tornado. The lone missing person is from Olongapo City and is the subject of search and rescue efforts by local workers.
NDCC executive officer and Office of the Civil Defense administrator Glenn Rabonza said that as of noon on Friday, the NDCC has recorded at least P16 million in damages to agriculture, fisheries and infrastructure.
Rabonza said also said a total of 139 houses have in Regions 1, III, IV and Cordillera Administrative Region were destroyed by the typhoons. Seventy-seven other houses were reported to have been damaged.
Rabonza said various government agencies, including the NDCC, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Health have already extended over P582,000 worth of assistance to the affected residents.
The typhoons also affected a total of 457 barangays in four regions. More than 55,263 families or 247,784 persons have been affected, 2,942 families or 11,880 persons of which are housed in evacuation centers. (VR/Sunnex)
