6 dead due to Typhoon Aghon

SIX individuals were reported dead due to the onslaught of Typhoon Aghon (Ewiniar), Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) spokesperson Edgar Posadas said Tuesday, May 28, 2024.

In a television interview, Posadas said of the six reported fatalities, one was confirmed — a 14-year-old female who was hit by a collapsed tree in Balingasag, Misamis Oriental.

He said eight individuals were also reported to have been injured due to the effects of Aghon.

“So far, yun ang pinagpapasalamat natin, wala tayong missing sa ngayon and we hope it stays that way. Wala tayong report of missing persons,” said Posadas.

Posadas said the city of Lucena in Quezon was already placed under a state of calamity.

He said the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office is also studying the possibility of placing the first and second districts of Quezon province under a state of calamity considering the effects of Aghon.

In a situational report on May 28, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said that of the 12,346 families of 36,143 persons affected by the weather system, 4,076 families or 16,426 individuals remain inside evacuation centers.

In his departure speech before leaving for a state visit in Brunei, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and Department of Transportation (DOTr) to continue helping victims of Typhoon Aghon, which affected several regions in the country.

Marcos noted that three airports and 29 seaports suspended their operation at the height of the typhoon over the weekend.

Six cities and towns had power outages, and there were 13 flooding incidents and three rain-induced landslides.

Marcos said the government has been coordinating with several agencies but he reiterated that the first responders were local government units (LGUs).

“They have brought all their energies together at the very first instance at nasabayan naman, nasundan kaagad ng national government sa pamamagitan ng pagbigay ng assistance, search and rescue na ginawa (The national government has given assistance, search and rescue missions),” said Marcos.

Marcos instructed the DPWH and the DOTr to repair the damaged infrastructure.

The President said the government has already sent relief goods to the affected areas.

“Sa unang pagkakataon na makapasok ang ating mga puwersa, ang ating mga DSWD, ang ating Coast Guard, ang ating search and rescue, lahat ng mga asset natin ay makapasok na kaagad dahil nakahanda tayo mula pa noong dumating ang bagyo (Our government forces, the DSWD, Coast Guard, search and rescue, all assets will be able to assist as they have been ready since the entry of the typhoon),” Marcos said.

“So, patuloy naman ang ating gagawin at hindi natin titigilan ito siyempre hanggang matapos ang ating pagtulong sa mga nasalanta, sa mga naging biktima dito sa ating mga area na tinamaan ng Aghion (We will continue to work and will not stop until we are able to help out all those affected, to all the victims affected by Aghon),” he added. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)