Manila: The death toll due to storm Kai-Tak has reached 41, disaster risk management officials said on Tuesday as rescue and recovery efforts shift into high gear as the weather disturbance leaves the country.
In a press briefing, Romina Marasigan, spokesperson of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said a total 41 people were killed in Masbate, Leyte, Samar, Eastern Samar, Surigao del Norte and Camarines Sur from effects of Kai-Tak, which is referred to as “Urduja” in the Philippines.
Kai-Tak brought torrential rains over an extended period in the affected areas, causing landslides as well as massive flooding.
Five days after the storm entered the Philippines, more than 40 people in various areas remain missing.
Most of the deaths were due to the landslides that occurred in the province of Biliran in the Eastern Visayas Region.
The heavy rains brought floods that destroyed at least four bridges in Biliran which left the province difficult to reach by land.
Latest NDRRMC data said 62,309 families, or about 270,707 people, were affected in the Eastern Visayas region.
On Monday, President Rodrigo Duterte visited Biliran to see the effects of Kai-Tak to the province.
In a briefing at the Naval State University in Biliran, Duterte was apprised on the extent of the typhoon’s destruction as well as relief operations being conducted by various government agencies.
He assured the affected farmers that government will assist them.
Duterte likewise noted that what happened in the affected areas is a realisation that climate change is real and taking its toll, as he recalled the traumatic experience during typhoon “Haiyan” in November 2013.
Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, who is also the chair of the NDRRMC, assured that the armed forces is preparing to bring in heavy equipment as well as personnel to help rebuild damaged public infrastructures. “Rest assured that the military is ready to assist with whatever they can,” he said.
