8 reported dead, 3 missing due to Karding —NDRRMC

The reported death toll due to Typhoon Karding has increased from five to eight, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said on Tuesday.

NDRRMC spokesperson Raffy Alejandro, citing their latest reports, said of the eight reported fatalities, five were rescuers who drowned in San Miguel Bulacan and one more casualty.

One confirmed fatality each in the areas of Zambales and Polillo, Quezon were also recorded.

“Anim na pala sa Bulacan so yung limang rescuers plus may isa pong casualty. Tapos yung [sa] Zambales, naconfirm po isa lang po ang patay doon, plus one sa Polillo, Quezon so that’s eight casualties po as we speak,” Alejandro said in The Mangahas Interviews.

Alejandro said families who temporarily left their homes at the height of the typhoon have started going back,  At least 56,441 individuals sought shelter in evacuation centers.

“We expect na bababa na ito but yung total affected population po tumataas kasi pumapasok na yung reports. Nasa 166,623 persons na or close to 42,000 families ang apektado,” he said.

The NDRRMC official said almost 99 areas and municipalities have experienced power interruption.

He said that the Department of Energy (DOE) assured that the electricity will be restored in most of the affected areas in Quezon, Tarlac, and Nueva Ecija.

For the reports in damaged houses, Alejandro said at least 682 damaged houses in Regions 1 and 3 were recorded.

“Ito pa lang ang narerecord natin 682 damaged houses from Regions 1 and 3 but we are expecting reports coming from Quezon yung landfall area natin na madadagdagan ito. Of these number yung 682, [at least] 27 yung totally damaged and 655 partially damaged houses,” he said.

Three missing persons are also reported in Mercedes, Camarines Norte.

Meanwhile, in its 8 a.m. report, the NDRRMC said a total of 60,817 persons or 16,476 families were affected by the onslaught of Karding.

The NDRRMC said these people are 948 barangays in Ilocos Region, Cagayan, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).

Of the total affected population, 46,008 individuals or 12,352 are staying inside 976 evacuation centers, while 5,803 persons or 1,648 families are taking shelter in other places.

A total of 49,092 persons or 13,129 families were preemptively evacuated, the NDRRMC said.

Meanwhile, around P3 million worth of damage in infrastructures was reported in Mimaropa due to Karding, according to the NDRRMC. For agriculture, P1.525 million worth of damage was reported in Cordillera.

The NDRRMC also said 74 areas experienced flooding in Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and Bicol. The floods in two of these areas have already subsided, it added.

A total of 16 bridges and 13 roads are not passable in Cagayan, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Bicol, and Cordillera due to the impact of the typhoon. However, eight roads previously not passable are now passable.

Power outages were also experienced in 99 cities and municipalities. Of which, 28 areas already have their power supply back.

Interviewed on Dobol B TV, National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) spokesperson Cynthia Perez-Alabanza said three towers providing supply to Nueva Ecija and Aurora were down due to Karding.

Bypass lines, she said, are set to be established for faster restoration of power supply as repairing these towers would take months.

According to Perez-Alabanza, the towers for Pangasinan, Tarlac, Pampanga, and Quezon were also affected by the typhoon.

Communication issues, meanwhile, are still being experienced in six areas in Ilocos and Calabarzon, according to the NDRRMC.

A total of 65 ports have suspended operations, of which, 27 ports already resumed operations in Mimaropa and Bicol.

According to the NDRRMC, 2,181 passengers, 231 rolling cargoes, 23 vessels, and 14 motorbancas are stranded in Calabarzon, Mimaropa, and Bicol.

Three houses were reported damaged — two partially and one totally — in Ilocos and Cordillera.

A total of 753 classes and 742 work schedules were suspended due to the threat of Karding, the NDRRMC said.

Nueva Ecija with 32 cities and municipalities was declared under a State of Calamity.

A total of P1,625,862 worth of assistance has been provided to affected residents in Cagayan, Central Luzon, Bicol, and Cordillera, the NDRRMC said.

Karding left the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Monday night. —Joviland Rita/KBK, GMA News