Death toll due to Ursula climbs to 21

A total of 21 people were killed due to Typhoon Ursula while two were hurt and 10 were missing, according to National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) spokesperson Noel Timbal, citing the agency's latest report.

Interviewed on Unang Balita on Friday, Timbal said some 12,000 families took shelter in evacuation centers.

Meanwhile, more than 2,000 houses, 55 school houses and five government buildings were damaged by the strong typhoon.

In its latest report released Friday morning, the NDRRMC said 12,131 families or 43,850 people were taking temporary shelter in 216 evacuation centers.

A total of 147 cities/municipalities experienced power outage in Regions VI, VII, VIII and MIMAROPA. Of the number, electricity supply has already been restored in 31 cities/municipalities.

According to the report, a total of 97 passengers and one vessel were still stranded in varying ports due to the typhoon.

The provinces of Leyte and Eastern Samar, as well as parts of Aklan and Occidental Mindoro, have been placed under a state of calamity by their local governments due to the effects of Typhoon Ursula, which lashed areas in the Visayas and Luzon on Christmas Day.

As of 3 a.m. on Friday, the eye of Typhoon Ursula (International name: Phanfone) was located based on all available data at 335 kilometers west of Subic, Zambales with maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 150 km/h. It was moving in the northwest direction at 10 kph. 

The areas of Leyte, Eastern Samar, San Jose in Occidental Mindoro, and Kalibo in Aklan were also placed under a state of calamity.

An average of 20 cyclones cross the Philippines each year, with storms becoming fiercer in recent years. More than 6,000 people died and 200,000 homes destroyed when Super Typhoon Yolanda, the strongest-ever storm to make landfall in the Philippines, hit Leyte and Samar six years ago. — BAP/KBK, GMA News