Situation Overview As of 04:00, 17 September, there are nearly 193,000 people staying in 1,900 evacuation centres in Regions I, II, III, IV-A, the Cordilleras Autonomous Region (CAR) and Metro Manila, while about 26,000 people are staying with relatives or friends, primarily in Regions I, II, III and CAR, according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development. Of the total displaced, about 37 per cent are in Region II, 19 per cent in Region I, 16 per cent in CAR, 13 per cent in Region III, 9 per cent in Metro Manila, and 7 per cent in Region IV-A.
To date, a total of 451 houses have been reported damaged or destroyed, primarily CAR (Ifugao, Benguet, Kalinga, Mountain Province) and Region III (Zambales). The provinces of Ilocos Sur (Region I), Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino (Region II) also reported damaged or destroyed houses.
Media, citing Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and presidential spokesman Harry Roque, have reported at least 34 bodies recovered and another 30 people missing after a landslide buried miners in a bunkhouse in Itogon, Benguet. Other initial field reports indicate that numbers of casualties and damaged properties across the affected areas may increase as assessments continue, particularly in isolated mountainous areas in CAR.
The airports in Basco, Batanes; Laoag, Ilocos Norte; and San Fernando, Pampanga, are now open to commercial aircraft. No change in status of other airports previously reported closed to commercial aircraft.
Flood watches remain in place for the Pampanga and Agno river basins, as well as the San Roque and Magat dams/sub-basins. The flood watch for the Cagayan river basin has been lifted.
[Sources: DSWD, NDRRMC, PAGASA, ICAO, NGO/UN field reports] |
