The number of casualties and damages that Typhoon Ursula left continues to rise according to disaster officials.
47 people were killed, nine remain missing, while at least 140 were injured, when Ursula’s strong winds and heavy rains rampaged through the Visayas over the holidays, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
Western Visayas had the highest number of fatalities with 26, followed by Eastern Visayas with 13, Mimaropa with 7, and 1 in Central Visayas. Most of the victims drowned while others were hit by falling objects or electrocuted.
447,164 families (or 1,758,396 persons) in 6,510 barangays in MIMAROPA, Regions V to VIII, and CARAGA were affected by the typhoon.
The NDRRMC released the breakdown of fatalities in last night’s media briefing:
MIMAROPA – 7
Oriental Mindoro – 5
Occidental Mindoro – 2
Region VI (Western Visayas) – 26
Capiz – 5
Aklan – 5
Iloilo – 16
Region VII (Central Visayas) – 1
Cebu – 1
Region VIII (Eastern Visayas) – 13
Southern Leyte – 1
Leyte – 5
Biliran -1
Eastern Samar – 5
Samar – 1
The NDRRMC estimates damage to infrastructure and agriculture at P1,074,811,046. As of Saturday, damage to agriculture was estimated to have reached P782.97 million.
Typhoon Ursula ravaged through several provinces over the Christmas holiday, stranding thousands in sea ports and leading to flight cancellations. It exited the country on Saturday morning. (Rommel F. Lopez)