More than 18k displaced by Basyang

MANILA, Philippines - More than 18,000 persons in three regions have been displaced by tropical storm 'Basyang.'

A total of 18,518 persons or 3,698 families in Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas and Caraga regions are now inside 74 evacuation centers, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said on Saturday.

Majority of the evacuees, 9,580 of them, were from Leyte in Eastern Visayas.

Huge numbers of evacuees were also reported in Cebu in Central Visayas with 4,215 and Dinagat Islands in Caraga with 3,727. The storm also displaced residents from Biliran, Southern Leyte, and Surigao del Norte provinces.

Provincial Disaste Risk Reduction and Management Council in Bohol said efforts are underway to evacuate patients staying in tent hospitals. A total of two ambulance units, seven medics and one generator set have been deployed to facilitate the evacuation of the patients in the area, which was hit by a strong earthquake late last year.

NDRRMC said 9,541 passengers, 164 vessels, 877 rolling cargoes and 21 motorized boats have been stranded due to the bad weather.

The Social Welfare department has pre-positioned P104.3-million worth of emergency relief resources consisting of standby funds, food packs and non-food items.

The agency has also released P12.5-million worth of standby funds to buy relief goods and to bankroll expenses for the disaster operations.