Gov't says recovery from 'Pablo' may take years

MANILA, Philippines - The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said Tuesday that the recovery of residents affected by Tropical Cyclone "Pablo" may take not just months but years.

NDRRMC executive director Benito Ramos on Tuesday said much work would be needed to repair the damage brought by "Pablo" even as they still expect the figures on loss to lives and property to go up.

In its update on Tuesday morning, the NDRRMC said that the death toll caused by tropical cyclone “Pablo” continued to climb, reaching 1,046 only 648 of whom were identified while 841 remained missing and at least 2,662 more were injured.

The NDRRMC also said Pablo had affected 701,257 families or 6,203,991 people in 2,911 villages in 312 towns and 40 cities in 34 provinces.

Of these, 6,608 families or 25,953 people were staying in 63 evacuation centers.

At least 10 bridges and one road remain impassable while 36 areas are still experiencing power interruption.

The NDRRMC said damage caused by Pablo was estimated at P24.22 billion, of which P7.82 billion were on infrastructure and P16.35 billion on agriculture.

Meanwhile, assistance for the affected families amounted to P172 million.

The Department of Social and Welfare Development (DSWD) has allocated P82.91 million; local government units (LGUs), P46.12 million; Department of Health (DOH), P26.10 million; non-governmental organizations/other government organizations, P13.4 million; and NDRRMC, P3.51 million.