Carina, monsoon fatalities climb to 39

MANILA, Philippines — The number of fatalities from Typhoon Carina and the southwest monsoon increased to 39 yesterday, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

The NDRRMC said 25 of the fatalities are still being validated, while the rest have been verified.

Nine people remain missing while the number of injured victims is still at six.

The fatalities were recorded in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), Central Luzon, Davao region, Ilocos, National Capital Region and Zamboanga peninsula.

The NDRRMC said the number of people displaced by the bad weather rose to 4.8 million from 4.6 million the other day.

The number of people staying in evacuation centers decreased to 108,083 yesterday from 152,800 on Monday.

As this developed, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) has provided P3.4 billion worth of assistance to 1.2 million families affected by floods and heavy rains spawned by Carina and the monsoon.

OCD Administrator Ariel Nepomuceno stressed the need to prioritize and invest more in engineering, science-based and long-term solutions to effectively address problems caused by flooding.

Nepomuceno said there are no shortcuts or quick fixes in solving flood-related issues.

“Comprehensive plans that are based on and inspired by science must cover 18 major river basins of the archipelago and the communities surrounding them. Large dams for flood control, irrigation canals, catch basins, relocation of vulnerable communities, respect for no-build zone policy, landslide preventions, alarm systems and safety protocols, reforestation and no-nonsense management of all these must be in place soon,” he said.

The government must develop and implement such solutions with the help of other sectors and the public, he added.

Nepomuceno said that alongside ongoing discussions about earthquake preparedness, the government must also prioritize solutions aimed at mitigating flooding across the country.

On Wednesday, President Marcos instructed member agencies of the NDRRMC to continue implementing standard procedures while prioritizing critical and isolated areas affected by the weather.