Ursula death toll soars to 41

MANILA, Philippines — The number of people who died due to various reasons related to Typhoon Ursula in the Visayas region has reached at least 41.

Latest information from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said 20 of the casualties were from the provinces of Capiz, Aklan and Iloilo.

Thirteen of those who died were from Southern Leyte, Leyte, Biliran, Eastern Samar and Samar while seven were from Oriental Mindoro and Occidental Mindoro.

The NDRRMC, which relies on the reports of provincial and local disaster management units, said there was one casualty in the province of Cebu.

Latest reports said 12 people remain missing in the provinces of Occidental Mindoro, Capiz, Iloilo and Eastern Samar.

Typhoon Ursula, which exited the Philippine area of responsibility on Saturday morning, also left 28 people injured in the same provinces.

As of yesterday, 24,378 families – or a total of 97,503 individuals – are still being housed in 529 different evacuation centers.

The NDRRMC said 372 schools were partially damaged by the typhoon, along with 265,643 homes which include those slightly damaged and totally destroyed.

Some 29 health facilities and 93 other public and private structures were likewise damaged during Ursula’s onslaught.

As of yesterday, the combined estimated damage to infrastructure and agriculture has been placed at P1.074 billion.

The NDRRMC said various government agencies are now working together to address the needs of affected communities and families.

The cost of assistance so far from the Office of Civil Defense, the Department of Health, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and local government units has reached more than P15.7 million.

Removed from the list

After Tisoy, Ursula will also be removed from the list of tropical cyclone names of the state weather bureau, as the damage left by the weather disturbance reached more than P1 billion as of yesterday.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) will start the process of renaming Ursula once it gets the official and final assessment of the NDRRMC, senior weather forecaster Raymond Ordinario said.

Tisoy and Ursula were the 20th and 21st cyclone which visited the country this year, respectively.

PAGASA drops the name of a cyclone which causes at least 300 deaths or P1 billion worth of damage to agriculture and infrastructure. – With Jaime Laude, Jennifer Rendon, Helen Flores