THE Office of Civil Defense (OCD) on Monday said it is validating two reported fatalities in the Bicol Region and Eastern Visayas, as nearly 1.4 million individuals were preemptively evacuated over the weekend due to Super Typhoon Uwan (international name Fung-wong).
OCD Deputy Administrator Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said the figure is equivalent to about 426,000 families, based on data from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). He added that the evacuees came from Regions 1 (Ilocos), 2 (Cagayan Valley), 3 (Central Luzon), Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Cordillera Administrative Region, National Capital Region, and Regions 5 to 8, including the Negros Island Region.
Most evacuees were from the Bicol Region, followed by Eastern Visayas and Calabarzon, Alejandro said. Around 6,000 evacuation centers remain operational, housing more than 318,000 individuals or 92,000 families.
“Mayroon pong dalawang fatalities na subject to validation — isa sa Viga, Catanduanes dahil sa pagkalunod at isa sa Catbalogan City, Samar, na tinamaan ng gumuhong istruktura,” Alejandro told reporters, adding that two others were reported injured.
Assessment of the damage to infrastructure and agriculture is ongoing, while initial reports placed the number of damaged houses at around 1,000. (PNA)
