MANILA, Philippines — The province of Camarines Sur has declared a state of calamity "due to massive flooding, landslide incidents, and other damages brought about by Typhoon [sic] Usman," Gov. Miguel Luis "Migz" Villafuerte announced on his Facebook page on Sunday.
Once declared, a state of calamity puts in place price freezes on basic goods and gives the local government access to emergency funds. A similar declaration has been made in Baco town in Oriental Mindoro.
According to a report by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council that Villafuerte posted on Sunday afternoon, a total of 174,845 families—or 686,726 people— were listed as affected by landslides and flooding. It also said 7,304 people had to be evacuated from their homes.
According to an earlier report, two men had been reported killed in a landslide in Lagonoy town as of Saturday evening.
At least 18 have been killed in the Bicol region by landslides and flooding brought by Tropical Depression "Usman", which has since been downgraded to a low pressure area.