183K families affected by 'habagat,' 2 weather disturbances

MANILA – About 183,464 families consisting of 882,861 persons have been affected by the combined effects of the southwest monsoon or "habagat," Typhoon Carina, and the former tropical depression Butchoy, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported Wednesday.

The affected families are from 686 barangays in the Ilocos region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol region, Western and Central Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Soccsksargen, Caraga, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), and the Cordillera region.

The number of deaths remains at eight, of which seven are confirmed – four in Zamboanga Peninsula and one each in Northern Mindanao, Davao region, and the BARMM.

Still undergoing verification are reports of one death in the BARMM, along with two injured and one missing in Northern Mindanao.

Damaged houses were placed at 245 in Mimaropa, Central Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao region, Soccsksargen, Caraga, BARMM, and Cordillera.

In its latest update, the NDRRMC said 8,230 families composed of 35,388 individuals are housed in 90 evacuation centers while 115,668 families or 576,936 persons are receiving aid outside evacuation sites.

About P29,121,981.9 worth of assistance has been provided to affected families in Mimaropa, Western and Central Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Soccsksargen, and Caraga.

The Philippine Army (PA), meanwhile, has readied humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) teams for deployment.

In a statement Wednesday, PA spokesperson Col. Louie Dema-ala said the 2nd, 5th, and 7th Infantry Divisions placed 1,572 troops on standby, including 119 land and six waterborne assets for rescue and relief efforts in flooded and landslide-hit communities.

"The PA leadership directed units in typhoon-affected areas to coordinate with regional, provincial, and municipal disaster and risk reduction management offices to form part of the Incident Command System that are activated within their respective areas of operations and responsibilities," Dema-ala added. (PNA)