70 dead, 22 missing in Negros Oriental due to Odette —PDRRMO

Typhoon Odette has left at least 70 people dead, and 22 others missing in Negros Oriental, an executive of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) said on Wednesday.

“As of last night's count, nag-ikot kami yesterday and we talked with our local counterparts sa DRRMO, and the recorded ay umabot na ho ng 70 ‘yung confirmed deaths reported to the emergency operation center. They’re still searching for 22 missing persons,” Negros Oriental PDRRMO executive director Adrian Sedillo said.

(We made a round last night and talked with our local counterparts in the DRRMO. The recorded confirmed deaths as of last night was at 70 as reported by the emergency operation center. They are also searching for 22 missing people.)

Sedillo said this in a Teleradyo interview, noting that most of the fatalities were due to the flood brought by the heavy rains, while some were hit by falling trees.

Also, the PDRRMO feared that the number of deaths in the province could rise because several people were reported missing in areas that are still inaccessible to responders.

On the other hand, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported on Wednesday that the death toll due to Typhoon Odette climbed to 177, with 275 injured, and 38 still missing.

Sedillo pointed out that the typhoon has left “quite a large area of devastation” in Negros Oriental, which has the majority of the local government units in the province.

“Ito yung  areas na tinamaan ng malakas na lindol noong 2012 (these were the areas hit) by the strong 2012 quake. (Likely) they have not totally recovered yet from that incident,” he said.

All national highways are, however, passable except the one  connecting Bais and Mabinay. Clearing operations are also ongoing in secluded areas where rain-induced landslides occurred, he added.

Moreover, Sedillo said that while about 40% of the water supply have been restored in other towns, there are still areas that needed to be given more attention.

Meanwhile, he said that communication is still intermittent in the province and many areas could not still get cell site of signals.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said Tuesday that communication lines in areas hit by the typhoon will be fully restored before the end of the year.

Further, Sedillo said that the majority of the people evacuated during the peak of Typhoon Odette's onslaught have already gone back to their homes, while some are still staying with their relatives. —LBG, GMA News