Photo credit: Philippine Coast Guard
Deaths from Typhoon “Egay” (international name: Doksuri) have reached 27, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said on Wednesday.
Of these, only two have been confirmed—one each from Calabarzon and Western Visayas. The other 25 fatalities recorded from the regions of Cordillera, Ilocos, Calabarzon, Western Visayas and Davao were still being validated.
Fifty-two people sustained injuries, while 13 individuals—eight in Cordillera, four in Cagayan Valley and one in Ilocos—were still missing.
The typhoon has affected around 2.8 million individuals or 765,024 families in 13 regions. Of these, 57,740 persons are taking shelter in 677 evacuation centers.
A total of 50,371 houses were damaged, with 1,876 totally destroyed, the NDRRMC said.
As of Wednesday, 595 areas remained flooded as rains continued due to the southwest monsoon.
Damage to infrastructure was pegged at P3.5 billion, while agriculture losses were at P1.9 billion.
The government has so far provided P187 million worth of aid.
The agriculture sector continues to take a hit from Egay, with the aggregate amount of losses exceeding the P3-billion threshold, yet it made a minimal dent in the country’s rice and corn production.
In its latest bulletin issued on Wednesday, the Department of Agriculture (DA) reported that agricultural losses brought about by the typhoon hit P3.17 billion from P2.89 billion recorded a day ago.
It affected 146,260 farmers and fishers with the total volume of production loss estimated at 106,453 metric tons spanning 170,843 hectares of agricultural areas.
The latest tally eclipsed the P1.3 billion in damage caused by the confluence of low pressure area, Intertropical Convergence Zone, shear line and the northeast monsoon (amihan) early this year.
“Damage and losses in rice amounted to P1.34 billion with affected area at 98,887 ha and volume of production loss at 38,917 MT or 0.20 percent of the total annual production target volume for rice at 19.76 million MT,” the DA said.
“While for corn, damage and losses amounted to P1.03 billion with affected area at 70,003 ha and volume of production loss at 55,513 MT or 0.60 percent of the total annual production target volume for corn at 9.30 million MT.
Aside from rice and corn, other affected commodities such as high-value crops (P244.51 million), livestock and poultry (P34.27 million) and fisheries (P175.39 million).
Agricultural and fishery infrastructures and facilities, as well as fishing paraphernalia totaling P351.74 million, were likewise damaged, but the figures have yet to be confirmed.