Paeng death toll now 160; P11.7 billion agriulture, infrastructure damage

MANILA, Philippines — The number of fatalities due to Severe Tropical Storm Paeng has risen to 160, a report released yesterday by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) showed.

The NDRRMC said 132 of the deaths have been confirmed while the 28 others are still being validated.

The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao recorded the highest death toll, with 64 followed by Western Visayas with 37 and Calabarzon, 33.

Twenty-nine other persons were reported missing, 10 of them still being validated.

Forty-six of the 108 reported injured have been confirmed.

Up to 356,143 residents of Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Central Visayas, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao and Soccsksargen were preemptively evacuated.

The NDRRMC said Paeng left 57,351 houses damaged.

At least 357,908 people were displaced and took shelter in 137 evacuation centers and other areas.

The NDRRMC said a total of 1,357,807 families or 5,410,102 people were affected by Paeng in 10,056 barangays across the country.

The government has provided assistance worth P296.58 million to affected residents.

The NDRRMC said damage to agriculture and infrastructure climbed to P11.7 billion.

Damage to agriculture was placed at P6.39 billion, including P1.5 billion to livestock, poultry and the fisheries sector.

The cost of damage to infrastructure was pegged at P5.4 billion. More than 900 structures and facilities were affected.