DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental, Dec. 23 (PIA) -- Typhoon Odette has left 74 dead, 22 missing, and 99 injured as of Dec. 22 in Negros Oriental.
Based on initial reports, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer (PDRRMO) Adrian Sedillo said a total of 11,978 individuals, including 478 families, in different towns and cities were affected by the recent typhoon.
Around 5,000 houses were totally damaged and over 14,000 were partially damaged in Bayawan City, Mabinay, Bindoy, Canlaon City, and Zamboanguita as TY Odette swept across parts of the province, leaving a trail of devastation.
The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC) on Dec. 20 issued a resolution recommending the Sangguniang Panlalawigan to declare a state of calamity in the province due to the damage brought by the typhoon.
Provincial Engineer Franco Alpuerto reported that the cost of damage to infrastructure has been initially placed at more than P600 million.
This includes the estimated damage of structures such as roads, bridges, river control/dikes, shoreline protection, gymnasium, public markets, school buildings, among others.
Assistant Provincial Health Officer Dr. Liland Estacion reported to the PDRRMC members that the estimated cost of damages in the province's community primary hospitals is pegged at P5 million each.
Local Health Units are requesting for additional refrigerators from the Department of Health regional and central offices to ensure the integrity of the vaccines against COVID-19.
For now, the vaccines of the local government units are stored inside the cold chain facility of the Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO).
Typhoon Odette on Dec. 17 made its landfall in La Libertad town, carrying with it maximum sustained winds of 175 kilometers per hour near the center, gustiness of up to 240 kilometers per hour and a central pressure of 935 hPa, causing extensive affectations in the province, especially in the central and northern parts of Negros Oriental. (JCT/PIA7 Negros Oriental)
