The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said its tally as of Monday showed that a total of 116 people were killed while 39 others remained missing as a result of Severe Tropical Storm Kristine.
Also, some 109 individuals were injured by the cyclone, whose brunt was felt throughout the Bicol Region and Batangas province, and caused authorities in many other jurisdictions to declare localized states of emergency, the agency also reported.
An estimated 575,000 individuals were forced to leave their homes and seek shelter in some 6,000 evacuation centers nationwide, the NDRRMC further disclosed.
It was also reported that the storm deeply flooded 663 communities across 13 regions in the country.
The NDRRMC said ‘Kristine’ affected some 35,918 farmers and fisherfolk across the nation, although it was not yet clear whether this was due only to the destruction of crops or damages to their properties as well.
A total of 31,670 hectares of crops were washed away, the disaster agency further disclosed.
“Kristine is the deadliest storm to hit the country so far this year, especially with the reported number of casualties,” Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno of the Office of Civil Defense said.
As the country struggles to recover from ‘Kristine,’ another weather disturbance, called ‘Leon,’ has developed into another severe tropical storm, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
As of 10:00 a.m. on Monday, the state weather bureau has placed twelve provinces in Luzon under Wind Signal No. 1 after monitoring the center of ‘Leon’ at about 735 kilometers east of Casiguran, Aurora or 780 kilometers east of Echague, Isabela.
It was packing maximum sustained winds of 95 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 115 KPH as it was moving westward at around 20 KPH.
Areas under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 include; Batanes, Cagayan including Babuyan Islands, Isabela, Ilocos Norte, Abra, Apayao, Kalinga, the eastern portion of Mountain Province, the eastern portion of Ifugao, the eastern portion of Quirino, the northern portion of Aurora, and the northern portion of Catanduanes.
PAGASA was expected to hoist a gale warning over the northern and eastern seaboards of Northern Luzon on Monday afternoon.
As this developed, House Speaker Martin Romualdez on Monday recognized the Singapore government’s assistance to typhoon victims in the form of a much-needed cargo aircraft.
He thanked Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Ambassador to the Philippines Constance See for lending a C-130 aircraft to help in the efforts to reach thousands of Filipino families affected by ‘Kristine.’
“The aid they sent, especially the C-130 aircraft from the Singapore Air Force, we can use it to deliver relief goods to the areas that were severely affected by the typhoon,” Romualdez noted.
Similarly, the Royal Brunei Air Force (RBAirF) also sent a C-295 aircraft to reinforce humanitarian assistance to the victims of ‘Kristine.’
In a statement, the Philippine Air Force (PAF) said this marked a significant display of regional cooperation and solidarity between the Philippines and Brunei.
“The additional aircraft bolsters the PAF’s capability to reach and support affected communities, providing essential supplies and assistance,” PAF said.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “Death toll from ‘Kristine’ rises to 116, says NDRRMC.”
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