‘Egay’ death toll rises to 25 as 300,000 people displaced
Credit to Author: Gaea Katreena Cabico| Date: Mon, 31 Jul 2023 12:05:00 +0800
MANILA, Philippines — The death toll from Typhoon Egay (international name: Doksuri) has risen to 25 while hundreds of thousands of others remain displaced, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported Monday.
Twenty-three of the deaths are still being verified. The NDRRMC also said that at least 20 people remain missing and 52 others are injured.
Nearly 2.4 million people from Luzon, Western Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Davao Region Soccsksargen, and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao have been affected by the powerful storm and the southwest monsoon.
Over 200,000 people were displaced, while more than 17,000 were pre-emptively evacuated, the agency said. Some 737 evacuation centers are in operation.
The combined effects of Egay and the southwest monsoon also wreaked havoc in the agricultural sector. According to the NDRRMC, more than 114,565 farmers and fisherfolk were affected. Damage to crops and agriculture infrastructure reached at least P1.9 billion.
Meanwhile, the initial damage to infrastructure was estimated at around P3.5 billion.
The government has so far provided P146 million in assistance to affected residents.
Egay is the fifth cyclone to hit the Philippines this year. Scientists have warned extreme weather events such as strong storms are being exacerbated by climate change.
A new cyclone, Typhoon Falcon (international name: Khanun) is threatening more floods and landslides as provinces battered by Egay were still reeling from its impacts.