THE National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) approved on Monday, November 16, a resolution recommending to President Rodrigo Duterte the declaration of state of calamity for the entire Luzon.
The NDRRMC said in a statement that it approved the state of calamity declaration during an emergency meeting, noting the widespread damage caused by Super Typhoon Rolly and Typhoons Quinta and Ulysses.
It was also agreed during the meeting that a technical working group of the joint prevention, mitigation, and preparedness clusters of the NDRRMC must be convened to assess the current dam management.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) was also instructed by NDRRMC Chairperson and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana to revisit its historical data to strengthen warnings beforehand.
Lorenzana raised various concerns to different agencies, among them were the provision of assistance to the affected farmers and fisherfolk, road clearing, shelter requirements and other recovery interventions.
The series of tropical cyclones that hit the country in November this year has displaced thousands of people in Luzon.
As of November 15, the NDRRMC reported that 67 deaths have been reported and a total of 231,312 people in Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol and Eastern Visayas were evacuated.
Relief and rescue operations have been ongoing, said Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque in a press briefing Monday, November 16. (LMY/SunStar Philippines)