MANILA — The national disaster agency said Friday it was validating two reported deaths in Eastern Visayas due to the shear line and low pressure area which brought heavy rains and widespread floods.

The floods injured another individual in the region and affected some 879,000 people, with 41,595 of them staying in evacuation centers, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said.

At least 17 roads and bridges were impassable, while some 250 houses were damaged, the NDRRMC said in its 8 a.m. report.

A total of 47 cities and towns were placed under a state of calamity, it said.

Government has distributed some P51.86 million worth of assistance so far, the NDRRMC added.

Watch more News on iWantTFC

AGRI DAMAGE

Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture said the floods damaged some P147 million worth of crops in Bicol Region, Eastern Visayas, and Western Visayas.

Rice fields, especially in Eastern Visayas, were the most affected, DA Spokesperson Arnel de Mesa said in a public briefing.

A total of 6,486 farmers were reeling from the agricultural loss, he said.

"Pagkatapos ng baha ay magkakaroon 'yan ng paglilinis... Kapag ready na ulit ang ating mga magsasaka, magpapaano tayo ng makinarya para mas mabilis ang kanilang paghahanda sa kanilang taniman," the official said.

"Nakahanda na ang ating mga buffer stock ng seeds na ito ay more than 2,100 bags na nagkakahalaga ng more than P3 million. Pati ang binhi ng mais ay almost P2 million at assorted vegetables, at ang ating livestock at alternative livelihood," he said.

Despite the floods, farmers' planting schedule for November is still on track, with the harvest expected in March and April next year, De Mesa said.

The shear line, an area where cool and warm winds meet, dumped around 6 weeks worth of rain in Northern Samar in just 24 hours, between Monday and Tuesday, the state weather bureau earlier said.

A low pressure area that approached the region also added to the rains before it dissipated last Sunday.

The shear line and 2 other weather systems continue to affect the country on Friday, PAGASA said.

— With a report from Job Manahan, ABS-CBN News

Watch more News on iWantTFC