Read this in The Manila Times digital edition.
THE number of deaths attributed to Super Typhoon “Karding” has risen to 12.
In a situation report Friday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said the death toll included the five rescuers killed earlier in San Miguel, Bulacan.
One death each was reported in Baliuag, Bulacan and Zambales, all due to drowning, and one in Burdeos, Quezon, due to a landslide.
Two people also drowned in Tanay and one in Antipolo City, both in Rizal, and one person died in Zambales in a motorcycle accident.
The missing persons were reported in Bicol and Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), and 52 were injured in Central Luzon and Calabarzon.
The NDRRMC said 911,404 people or 245,063 families were displaced by Karding. They come from 1,759 barangays in Ilocos, Cagayan, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan), Bicol and Cordillera.
A total of 50,025 houses were partially damaged and 6,891 were totally destroyed in Ilocos, Cagayan, Central Luzon, Calabarzon and Cordillera.
The agency also reported that infrastructure damage in Ilocos, Mimaropa, Bicol, and Cordillera ran to P23,947,400.
The NDRRMC said 35 cities and municipalities and the entire province of Nueva Ecija had declared a state of calamity.
In its own report Friday, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said damage to the farm and fishery sector has reached almost P3 billion.
At least P2.95 billion in losses were reported in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Bicol and Western Visayas.
A total of 154,734 metric tons (MT) of produce were destroyed in 164,217 hectares of farmlands.
The department said 103,552 farmers and fishermen were affected by the typhoon, the strongest to hit the country this year.
Rice damage was placed at P2.02 billion with an affected area of 159,251 ha. Production loss was at 133,294 MT or 0.66 percent of the annual total production target volume for rice of 20.25 MT.
Corn losses amounted to P65.4 million with the affected area at 2,002 ha and production loss at 2,634 MT.
The Department of Education (DepEd) said the reconstruction and repair of 165 schools damaged by Karding would cost P1.17 billion.
In a press briefing on Friday, Education spokesperson Michael Poa said 386 classrooms were totally destroyed.
“I have to emphasize again, this is a moving number because we are conducting a day-to-day field assessment,” Poa said.
Around 561 schools were used as evacuation centers during the typhoon, but only 92 schools were still sheltering evacuees.