Typhoon Odette death toll now at 208 — PNP

The Philippine National Police on Monday said 208 people were killed during the onslaught of Typhoon Odette in the country.

In its report as of Monday, the PNP said 129 fatalities were in Central Visayas, 41 in Caraga Region, 24 in Western Visayas, seven in Northern Mindanao, six in Eastern Visayas and one in Zamboanga.

A total of 239 people were injured, while 52 were missing, the PNP added.

It also reported that 71 areas were flooded.

A total of 3,178 areas experienced power interruption and 1,898 encountered telecommunication problems.

According to PNP, 1,013 passengers were stranded in seaports and airports.

At least 98 infrastructures were destroyed.

'Complete carnage'

The Philippine Red Cross has reported "complete carnage" in coastal areas.

"Homes, hospitals, school and community buildings have been ripped to shreds," Red Cross chairperson Richard Gordon said earlier.

The storm tore off roofs, uprooted trees, toppled concrete power poles, smashed wooden houses to pieces and flooded villages — sparking comparisons with Super Typhoon Haiyan in 2013.

Haiyan, called Yolanda in the Philippines, was the deadliest cyclone on record in the country, leaving more than 7,300 people dead or missing.

Bohol

One of the hardest-hit islands this time was Bohol — known for its beaches, rolling "Chocolate Hills," and tiny tarsier primates — where at least 74 people have died, Governor Arthur Yap said on his official Facebook page.

President Rodrigo Duterte and Senator Christopher "Bong" Go visited Bohol on Sunday to see the aftermath of Odette.

Yap said he asked Duterte for 15hp generators that will be delivered to towns so water pumping stations can run.

According to Yap, Duterte committed to give P2 billion as financial aid to the province.

NDRRMC

Meanwhile, the National Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said over 1.8 million people were affected by Odette.

Interviewed on GMA News’ Unang Balita, NDRRMC spokesperson Mark Timbal said that 438,359 of them are staying outside evacuation centers, or in the homes of their relatives or friends.

The areas most affected by Odette were northeastern Mindanao, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, and Palawan, Timbal said.

There has also been widespread destruction on Siargao, Dinagat and Mindanao islands, which bore the brunt of the storm when it slammed into the country packing wind speeds of 195 kilometers (120 miles) per hour.

At least 10 people died on the Dinagat Islands, provincial information officer Jeffrey Crisostomo told AFP on Sunday.

S.O.S was painted on a road in the popular tourist town of General Luna on Siargao island, where surfers and holidaymakers had flocked ahead of Christmas, as people struggle to find water and food.

Swathes of the affected areas have no communications, hampering efforts of disaster agencies to assess the full extent of the storm's damage.

Electricity also has been knocked out, affecting water-refilling stations and ATMs.

Thousands of military, police, coast guard and fire personnel have been deployed to assist in search and rescue efforts.

Coast Guard and naval vessels carrying food, water and medical supplies have been dispatched, while heavy machinery — like backhoes and front-end loaders — have been sent to help clear roads blocked by fallen power poles and trees.

Odette hit the Philippines late in the typhoon season — most cyclones typically develop between July and October.

Scientists have long warned that typhoons are becoming more powerful and strengthening more rapidly as the world becomes warmer because of human-driven climate change.

The Philippines — ranked among the globe's most vulnerable nations to the impacts of climate change — is hit by an average of 20 storms and typhoons every year, which typically wipe out harvests, homes and infrastructure in already impoverished areas.

State weather bureau PAGASA said Odette exited the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Saturday. — Joviland Rita with Agence France-Presse/RSJ, GMA News