3 reported dead as Southern Leyte ‘badly hit,’ damaged due to Typhoon Odette –governor

Three people were reported dead in Southern Leyte after the province was "badly hit" by Typhoon Odette, Southern Leyte Governor Damian Mercado said Saturday.

"As of now, the reported casualties are one from the municipality of Macrohon, one in Limasawa, and one in San Francisco," Mercado said at the Laging Handa briefing.

Mercado said he expected a detailed report regarding other municipalities by Sunday or Monday.

According to Mercado, Odette made landfall in the municipalities of Limasawa, Padre Burgos, and Maasin.

"Talagang badly hit, sobra ang damage dito sa Southern Leyte. Hindi ko masyadong masabi kung ano talaga ang situation ngayon because closed ang kalsada, walang communication, walang kuryente," he said, referring to the situation on Thursday.

(Southern Leyte was badly hit, the damage was significant. I could not quite say yet what the situation is at the moment because the roads are closed, there are no communications and no electricity.)

"But ngayon, medyo maganda na ang weather. But so far, wala pa tayong communication dito ngayon," he added.

(But now, the weather is fine. But so far, we have no communication here yet.)

Mercado said Typhoon Odette wreaked havoc on almost all towns along the shores, adding that many roads were impassable due to collapsed electric posts and trees.

Most residents have returned to their homes from evacuation centers.

Mercado said the Office of Civil Defense and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD ) had delivered food packs to the province even before Typhoon Odette. He however expected that the supplies would run short due to the number of residents needing assistance.

The Southern Leyte governor said they would temporarily prioritize relief efforts over the COVID-19 vaccination program, reporting that more than 80% of his constituents were vaccinated.

Mercado appealed to telecommunications giants Globe Telecom and Smart Communications Inc. for the immediate restoration of communication lines in his province. — DVM, GMA News