Members of the Philippine National Police and City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office rescue residents of Barangay Isidro, Ormoc City on Sunday as Tropical Storm Agaton caused flooding in the area. Photo courtesy of Glenn Vergara
MANILA — More than 45,000 people have been affected by Tropical Storm Agaton, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said Sunday.
In its latest report, the council said that 4 regions in the Visayas and Mindanao were affected by the cyclone: Region 10 (Northern Mindanao), Region 11 (Davao Region), CARAGA, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
More than 23,000 families have also been displaced from their homes due to the storm, most of whom are outside evacuation centers.
Two people have also been confirmed injured by Agaton’s onslaught, both of them from Region 10, NDRRMC said.
Up to 44 houses were also damaged by the storm, all of them from Northern Mindanao.
NDRRMC also reported about P874,000 worth of damage to agriculture in BARMM, with 230 hectares of crops in the region damaged by the cyclone.
Agaton also damaged 49 roads and bridges in Davao De Oro, Misamis Oriental, Surigao del Sur, and Agusan del Sur.
One of the hardest-hit towns in Agusan del Sur, Trento, has also been placed under a state of calamity, NDRRMC reported.
A province-wide class suspension was also declared in Agusan del Sur, while 5 areas in Eastern Samar and Bukidnon also suspended classes in all levels due to the storm.
Agaton was last spotted by PAGASA over the coastal waters of Balangiga, Eastern Samar as of 1:00 PM Sunday, with wind speeds of up to 75 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 105 kilometers per hour.
The storm is forecast to move erratically or remain almost stationary over the southern portion of Samar Island.
By mid-Tuesday, Agaton is expected to interact with cyclone “Malakas,” which is still currently outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), the state weather bureau added.
Agaton is the Philippines' first tropical cyclone for 2022.
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