THE number of fatalities due to Tropical Storm Kristine has increased to 85, Office of Civil Defense administrator Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno said Sunday, October 27, 2024.
In a radio interview, Nepomuceno said the reported deaths are still expected to go up, noting that 41 individuals were still marked as missing.
The fatalities were from Calabarzon (Region 4A), Bicol, Zamboanga Peninsula, and Central Luzon.
Tropical Storm Kristine is the country’s most fatal weather system so far for 2024, surpassing the 48 fatalities recorded due to the onslaught of the combined effects of Tropical Cyclone Butchoy and Carina in August.
In a situational report, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said nearly 1.5 million families, or almost 5.8 million individuals in 8,895 barangays in the country were affected by the effects of Kristine, in which 91,189 families or 382,154 individuals were displaced.
A total of P562,071,849.27 worth of assistance, which includes food and non-food items, has been provided to the affected population.
The disaster bureau also monitored 288 flooded areas, five maritime incidents, 24 fallen trees, 17 tornadoes, 19 landslides, and one vehicular accident in the affected regions due to Kristine.
More than 27,600 houses were damaged by the typhoon while the damage to infrastructure stood at P825,130,698.3.
The worth of damage incurred by agriculture in the affected regions was estimated at almost P1.5 billion.
Due to these effects, 158 cities and municipalities were placed under a state of calamity, in which the majority were in Bicol and Calabarzon regions.
These include:
Dagupan City
Cavite province
Batangas province
Tagkawayan, Mulanay and General Luna in Quezon
Santa Cruz, San Pedro and Victoria in Laguna
Albay province
Bulan, Sorsogon
Camarines Sur
Catanduanes
Camarines Norte
Calbayog, Samar
Jipapad, Arteche, San Policarpo, Oras, Maslog, Dolores, Can-avid, Taft, Sulat, San Julian, Borongan and Maydolong in Eastern Samar
Magpet, Cotabato
Alfonso Lista, Ifugao
Quezon City, Metro Manila
(TPM/SunStar Philippines)