OCD validating 5 deaths due to Aghon; almost 8,500 families affected

Five persons were reported dead while seven others were injured due to the onslaught of Typhoon Aghon, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said Monday.

In a press briefing, OCD Spokesperson Edgar Posadas said the casualties are still being validated.

“Officially, wala pang casualties na attributable relating to Aghon. Pero unfortunately, may lima. Isang bata sa Calabarzon, isa sa Region X…at 3 sa Calabazon.. Itong lima is still for validation,” said Posadas

(Officially, there were still no casualties attributable to Aghon. But we received information that there are five being validated. One is a child from Calabarzon, the other is an adult male from Region X and three are from Calabarzon.)

The OCD official likewise said seven people sustained injuries due to Aghon, of which, four were from Legazpi, Albay.

“‘Yung apat kahapon, ito ay sa Legazpi. Lahat sila ay lalaki. Ang edad, 30 [years old], 12, 8, at 3,” said Posadas. 

(We reported four injured people yesterday. They were all from Legazpi and aged 30, 12,8, and three.)

“Pinalagay namin na ito ay magkakapamilya at habang nakasakay sa tricycle, nabagsakan sila ng puno,” he added.

(We assumed they were relatives because they were onboard a tricycle when an uprooted tree hit their vehicle.)

The Llatest situational report from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) showed around 8,465 families or 19,373 individuals were affected by the typhoon.

Aghon also displaced 5,343 persons, many of them staying in the 81 evacuation centers that the government has set up.

The cyclone also caused flooding in 13 areas in Mimaropa and Eastern Visayas regions, and damaged 22 houses, four of them totally.

A state of calamity was also declared in Lucena City, Quezon.

Meanwhile,  the OCD reported rain-induced landslides in three areas, and floodings in 13 areas. Three areas had uprooted trees while one reported a tornado incident.

DSWD

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said it has provided P5 million worth of standby funds in Calabarzon, one of Aghon’s hardest hit regions.

DSWD Disaster Response Management Bureau Director Michael Christopher Mathay said more than 40,000 food packs worth P29 million and other food and non-food items worth P35 million were also distributed in the region.

State of calamity

For its part, the Quezon Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) said a state of calamity may be declared in the first and second districts of the province due to the typhoon.—RF, GMA Integrated News