Digital Desk, Manila. The death toll from the powerful Typhoon Rai in the Philippines has risen to 389, with 64 people still missing, a government disaster agency said on Monday. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said that the typhoon that hit the Philippines on December 16 also injured 1,146 people, Xinhua news agency reported.
The NDRRMC said that the storm affected more than 42 lakh people in 11 areas in the central and southern parts of the Philippines. It has also affected parts of the main Luzon island as well. The 15th and most powerful typhoon that hit the country this year damaged homes, forcing villagers to spend their holidays at evacuation centres.
According to the agency, about 315,000 of the more than 570,000 displaced people have been temporarily housed in 1,179 evacuation centres. More than 500,000 homes have been destroyed. The typhoon has caused more than 22 billion pesos ($440 million) in damage to agriculture and infrastructure. Under Secretary of Health Maria Rosario Vergeire told an online briefing that the typhoon damaged 141 health facilities, including hospitals, in five areas affected by the storm.
The Department of Health (DOH) has monitored food and water borne diseases such as diarrhea and acute gastroenteritis in the storm-affected areas. Some patients have been taken to the hospital. The storm has also affected 62 testing laboratories for COVID-19 and caused thousands of doses of vaccines to be wasted due to power outages. The government continues to provide assistance to the affected areas, including food, drinking water, by restoring damaged roads, telecommunications and homes.
(IANS)
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