Casualties, damages from ‘Frank’ rising
06/30/2008 | 01:54 AM
MANILA, Philippines - A week after pummeling wide areas of the country, the toll from typhoon Frank (international code name: Fensheng) continued to rise Sunday, according to the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC).
Glenn J. Rabonza, Office of Civil Defense (OCD) administrator and NDCC executive officer, said that as of 6 a.m., 540 people were reported dead, 288 injured, and 41 missing.
The casualties excluded retrieved bodies from the M/V Princess of the Stars that was directly hit by Frank on June 21 and capsized off Sibuyan island in Romblon province.
Mr. Rabonza said that the estimated cost of damage to agriculture and infrastructure rose to P7.3 billion.
Infrastructure damages amounted to P2.1 billion, with the breakdown as follows: roads and bridges, P1.6 billion; school-buildings, P518.7 million; and other government facilities, P9.10 million.
Damages to agriculture totaled P5.2 billion, with damages to fisheries at P2.3 billion; agricultural infrastructure and irrigation, P180.2 million; and livestock, P18.9 million.
The total cost of assistance given by government and nongovernmental agencies reached P45.5 million, said Mr. Rabonza.
Frank totally destroyed 7,098 houses and partially damaged 225,544 others. It also displaced 718,257 families or 3.6 million people, 276,597 of which are still in evacuation centers.
Food shortage
Meanwhile, Presidential Adviser on Western Visayas Raul Bañas noted the possibility of a food shortage due to the extent of damage to the agricultural sector.
"We have seen firsthand how grave the damage to crops was. We may face a food shortage on a national level... I think that is one of the major problems we are facing in the next one to two months," he told reporters after he and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Alexander B. Yano delivered relief goods to residents of Iloilo at the Iloilo airport Sunday.
Mr. Bañas said a total of 22,000 hectares of rice fields were damaged and 66,000 metric tons of livestock and fisheries were wiped out in Western Visayas alone.
"Iloilo is the number one among the top three rice producers of the country. Rebuilding will take a while because the extent of the damage is so widespread in the region," he said.
Mr. Bañas said that the region’s water system was also affected and power lines were also destroyed in some areas. He appealed for donations of potable water. — Jhoanna Frances S. Valdez, BusinessWorld
Glenn J. Rabonza, Office of Civil Defense (OCD) administrator and NDCC executive officer, said that as of 6 a.m., 540 people were reported dead, 288 injured, and 41 missing.
The casualties excluded retrieved bodies from the M/V Princess of the Stars that was directly hit by Frank on June 21 and capsized off Sibuyan island in Romblon province.
Mr. Rabonza said that the estimated cost of damage to agriculture and infrastructure rose to P7.3 billion.
Infrastructure damages amounted to P2.1 billion, with the breakdown as follows: roads and bridges, P1.6 billion; school-buildings, P518.7 million; and other government facilities, P9.10 million.
Damages to agriculture totaled P5.2 billion, with damages to fisheries at P2.3 billion; agricultural infrastructure and irrigation, P180.2 million; and livestock, P18.9 million.
The total cost of assistance given by government and nongovernmental agencies reached P45.5 million, said Mr. Rabonza.
Frank totally destroyed 7,098 houses and partially damaged 225,544 others. It also displaced 718,257 families or 3.6 million people, 276,597 of which are still in evacuation centers.
Food shortage
Meanwhile, Presidential Adviser on Western Visayas Raul Bañas noted the possibility of a food shortage due to the extent of damage to the agricultural sector.
"We have seen firsthand how grave the damage to crops was. We may face a food shortage on a national level... I think that is one of the major problems we are facing in the next one to two months," he told reporters after he and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Alexander B. Yano delivered relief goods to residents of Iloilo at the Iloilo airport Sunday.
Mr. Bañas said a total of 22,000 hectares of rice fields were damaged and 66,000 metric tons of livestock and fisheries were wiped out in Western Visayas alone.
"Iloilo is the number one among the top three rice producers of the country. Rebuilding will take a while because the extent of the damage is so widespread in the region," he said.
Mr. Bañas said that the region’s water system was also affected and power lines were also destroyed in some areas. He appealed for donations of potable water. — Jhoanna Frances S. Valdez, BusinessWorld
