The Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) has recorded 17 landslides across the country due to the onslaught of Severe Tropical Storm Kristine.
In an interview during Dos Por Dos on Thursday, OCD Administrator Usec. Ariel Nepomuceno reported five casualties in Quezon province, with additional casualties from Albay, Naga City, Catanduanes, and Southern Leyte.
Nepomuceno also noted that there are 10 missing individuals, with casualties expected to increase throughout the day.
"Sigurado tayong madadagdagan ito dahil mayroon 17 landslides ang naiulat at 10 ang missing kaya ang official report sa number of casualties ay madadagdagan pa within the day," he noted.
Nepomuceno added that the OCD has received numerous distress calls, particularly from Region V. In response, rubber boats were deployed to the Visayas and Mindanao, although rescue operations were challenged by the strong flood currents.
A total of 149 cities and municipalities have been affected by floods, with over 280,000 families or 1.282 million individuals impacted, based on the latest report from last night.
"Pwede kong sabihin na parang Ondoy ang nangyari diyan. Mahigit sa isang buwang ulan ay ibinagsak sa loob ng ilang oras lang na naman. Sa ngayon naman, ang kagandahan ay unti-unti nang bumubuti ang panahon," said the OCD Administrator.
Following the situation, Nepomuceno shared that Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro has reached out for assistance from neighboring countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore.
Typhoon Kristine entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Monday at midnight. It intensified quickly after being tracked as a low-pressure area just the previous day.
The storm has caused significant impacts across various parts of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
As of 11 a.m., Kristine's center was seen near Bauko, Mountain Province. It has maximum sustained winds of 95 km/h and gusts of up to 160 km/h, while moving southwestward at 20 km/h.
Tropical Cyclone Warning Signals remain hoisted in various parts of the country.
The severe tropical storm is expected to exit by tomorrow, October 25.
