The cyclone has caused flooding and serious damage on several islands, where rescue teams are looking for dozens of missing
The number of fatalities due to the passage of typhoon ‘Rai’ through the Philippines has exceeded the barrier of 300, while the number of victims already stands at 1.8 million, according to the latest balance offered this Monday by the authorities of the Asian country.
The Philippine Police have detailed that to date 208 deaths have been confirmed, while 319 people have been injured and 239 have been reported missing, while the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has placed the total at 1,805,005 of affected.
Thus, the Center for Disaster Response, Operations Supervision, and Information of the agency has indicated that more than 450,000 families have been affected by the passage of the typhoon, which hit the central Philippines, according to the newspaper ‘The Philippines Star’.
The families reside in the regions of Bicol, Central Visayas, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Caraga, Davao, Mimaropa, and the Zamboanga Peninsula, with about 500,000 displaced in 2,481 evacuation centers and more than 193,000 people temporarily sheltered by family or friends.
The DSWD has also underlined that in the affected areas there are problems of electricity supply and Internet access, for which it has recognized “a challenge in collecting data on the affected population” and other related issues.
For his part, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has promised “a convoy of rice and water” for the survivors as he tries to get the government to release funds that he hopes will amount to 4,000 million Philippine pesos (about 71.2 million euros).
Financial aid
The president has highlighted that 2,000 million pesos (about 35.6 million euros) will go to the local authorities of the areas affected by the passage of ‘Rai’, while the other 2,000 million pesos will be destined to help the survivors.
Duterte has recognized that the Government has “enormous debts” due to the costs of the response to the coronavirus pandemic and has advanced that it will be necessary to wait for the 2022 Budgets “to have money to spend,” as the Philippine television network ABS-CBN.
The typhoon hit the Philippines from Thursday through Saturday with winds of 195 kilometers per hour. Now the Police have been deployed to ensure security especially in supermarkets, where long lines are forming to purchase supplies.