Ursula death toll rises to 50; 5 still missing

MANILA, Philippines — The number of persons who died due to Typhoon Ursula rose to 50 yesterday with three more deaths reported in Leyte, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

The NDRRMC said five persons remained missing, two of them from Occidental Mindoro, two from Eastern Samar and one from Iloilo.

Ricardo Jalad, NDRRMC executive director and Office of Civil Defense (OCD) administrator, said Western Visayas has the highest number of fatalities at 26; Eastern Visayas, which includes Leyte, 16; Mimaropa, seven, and Central Visayas, one.

Jalad said 143 people were injured, 113 of them from Leyte and Eastern Samar, 25 from Iloilo, Aklan and Capiz and five from Mimaropa.

At least 2,544 barangays and 522,460 families or 2,122,581 individuals were affected by the typhoon in Mimaropa, Bicol, Western, Eastern, Central Visayas and Caraga.

Of the more than two million people displaced by the typhoon, 14,714 families or 60,732 individuals greeted the New Year at 654 evacuation centers.

Damage to infrastructure, including roads, bridges, schools, health facilities, commercial establishments and houses, as well as in the agriculture sector increased to P1.085 billion.

The NDRRMC said floodwaters have yet to recede in Cuartero, Jamindan and President Roxas towns in Capiz.

Power in 115 towns and cities have yet to be restored.

San Jose town in Occidental Mindoro, Kalibo and Malay in Aklan, Libertad and Pandan in Antique, Sigma in Capiz, Carles and Concepcion in Iloilo, Madridejos in Cebu, Borongan City in Eastern Samar, Tacloban City in Leyte and Daram in Samar remain under a state of calamity.

Jalad said the Department of Health, OCD and concerned local government units provided P35.8 million in calamity assistance to typhoon victims in Mimaropa.