4.2 million Filipinos impacted by Kristine, death toll climbs to 81

MANILA, Philippines – Over 4.2 million Filipinos’ lives were impacted by Severe Tropical Storm Kristine, which battered the Philippines with strong winds and heavy flooding, especially in Bicol. This is almost a million families — some 986,974.

The death toll has reached at least 81, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported as of 8 am on Saturday, October 26.

The latest death toll is a jump from the 13 reported on the same time the previous day, Friday, October 25. At least 66 are reported injured, and 34 reported missing.

Almost half a million Filipinos were displaced, most of whom went to evacuation centers. At least 547 were flooded across areas in Metro Manila, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Soccsksargen, Caraga, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Over P203 million worth of infrastructure was also damaged amid the storm, mostly schools. Damage to agriculture reached P87.53 million, affecting over 3,000 farmers and fisherfolks, and over 1,600 hectares of crops.

Cities and municipalities with affected power and water supplies are nearing the halfway mark in restoration. At least 45% of the 278 cities and towns with affected power have had their supplies restored, while 47% has been restored in the 34 affected cities and towns affected.

Of the 447 affected road and bridge sections, half remain impassable to all types of vehicles. None of the three affected airports have recovered operations, while just 8 of the 92 seaports have.

At least 83 cities and municipalities have been declared to be under a state of calamity.

As of 11 pm on Friday, no more areas in the country are under a tropical cyclone wind signal, but Kristine’s trough or extension, along with the southwesterly windflow, may still trigger rain.

Revisit Bicol River Basin Dev’t Program

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. went to Naga City on Saturday, October 26, to preside over a situation briefing and to have a dialogue with leaders in Bicol Region.

In a media interview after the briefing, he said he ordered the Department of Public Works and Highways to Bicol River Basin Development Program (BRBDP) in relation to the region’s flood control.

DPWH Secretary Emmanuel Bonoan told the President that the BRBDP was updated in July under a Philippine-Korea project. This includes a feasibility study for flood control. 

Bonoan also said that the DPWH expects the completion of a detailed engineering design by early 2025, and that civil works are expected to start by late 2025 or early 2026.

“Itong mga lugar, mga [lugar sa] Batangas, mga [lugar sa] Cavite, nawala kaagad ang tubig. Dito, hindi nawawala ang tubig. But that’s the proverbial problem of the Bicol River Basin. Kaya’t kailangan talaga nating pag-isipan what are we going to do with the long-term because you cannot expect any changes,” Marcos said.

(In areas in Batangas and Cavite, the flood waters subsided quickly. Here, the water’s not receding. But that’s the proverbial problem of the Bicol River Basin. So we really have to study what we are going to do long term because you cannot expect any changes.) – Rappler.com