The number of reported casualties due to Typhoon Odette has increased to 378 individuals, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Sunday, while 60 people remain missing and 742 people are reportedly injured.
NDRRMC spokesperson Mark Timbal told DZRH that from the said count, 54 are confirmed dead, 73 are confirmed injured, and 10 are confirmed missing.
"Patuloy pa rin po ang verification procedure para dito po sa ibang mga piguras na ito," Timbal said.
(The verification procedure for these figures is still ongoing.)
He added that the reported fatalities mostly came from Central Visayas, with Cebu and Leyte contributing a high number of fatalities.
"Region 7 po ang nakapagtala ng mataas na bilang nitong mga kababayan po nating nasawi. Meron po diyan sa Cebu at saka sa Bohol, sila po ang may mataaas na number of fatalities na naitala po natin," he said.
(Region 7 tallied the highest number of casualties. Cebu and Bohol reported the highest number of fatalities.)
Meanwhile, the number of people staying in evacuation centers is going down, according to Timbal.
The spokesperson said that there were 546 individuals who stayed in evacuation centers on Christmas Day, with 1,198 centers used to accommodate them.
"Pero as of today, bumababa na po yung count na 'yan kasi nagsisiuwian na 'yung mga kababayan natin. A lot of them are being released from evacuation centers na po para makauwi sa mga tahanan nila para magsagawa ng mga karampatang pag-aayos," he said.
(But as of today, the count is going down because people are starting to go home. A lot of them are being released from evacuation centers to return to their houses to carry out necessary reconstruction.)
Timbal also reported there have been no reported cases of COVID-19 transmission inside evacuation centers.
"So far, wala pa tayong nababalitaang ganap mula sa ulat ng mga kasamahan natin from the ground," he said.
(So far, we have not reported a case from our people from the ground.)
"We're hoping na sana wala nga at patuloy na ipapatupad yung mga health protocols po doon, kagaya ng ating pinaalala simula pa bago pa mangyari itong si Odette."
(We’re hoping that there are none and that health protocols will remain implemented as we reminded them before Odette arrived.)
According to Timbal, there are also designated isolation areas inside evacuation centers in case an individual starts exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19. It will also be used for the isolation of close contacts.
The government also promised to repair hospitals that have been ruined by Typhoon Odette.
"Nangangalap na po ng pondo para diyan para tuloy-tuloy po ang pagseserbisyo sa mga kababayan natin," he said.
(We are now looking for funds so they continue delivering services to Filipinos.)
Overall, affected individuals from Typhoon Odette have soared over three million people, who are now receiving assistance from local government units and combined efforts from the private sector and national government.
"Ang total po na naapektuhan po in those areas po across 11 regions, 38 provinces, 429 cities, and almost 6,000 barangay - it's a total of 3,952,000 individuals po 'yan na kasalukuyang na ina-assist ng LGUs at sanib pwersa ng national government agencies at private sector," he said.
(The total number of affected people across 11 regions, 38 provinces, 429 cities, and almost 6,000 barangay – it’s a total of 3,952,000 individuals who are being assisted by LGUs and the combined efforts from national government agencies and the private sector.)
