Over 1.6 million people affected by flooding: OCD

MANILA — The death toll from the massive flooding across the Philippines caused by a series of low-pressure areas (LPA) and a shear line has climbed to 33, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said Thursday.

More than 1.6 million individuals—or over 412,000 families—across 13 regions in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao were also affected by inclement weather.

Affected regions include Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol Region, Western, Central, and Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, Soccsksargen, and the Bangsamoro Region.

Some 266,000 people, equivalent to 65,000 families, have also been displaced after being forced to leave their homes due to the floods.

The flooding also left 12 people injured and 7 others missing, the OCD further reported.

Agricultural damage was estimated at P414.3 million, while damage to infrastructure was also pegged at almost P207 million.

At least 14 cities and towns were also placed under a state of calamity following the floods, the latest of which was the entire island of Samar in Eastern Visayas.

• Samar island under state of calamity due to floods

The OCD also reported some 1,672 houses damaged by the flooding, including 18 roads and 14 bridges that were still not passable to all types of vehicles.

The government has so far extended assistance worth P86.8 million to affected residents.

The OCD also said that as of writing, its regional offices continued to coordinate with local disaster risk reduction and management offices to monitor the situation in the affected areas.

Several parts of the country were inundated during the holiday season and the days after New Year due to inclement weather brought by LPAs and the shear line.

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