NDRRMC: Reported deaths due to Inday, Habagat now at 23

The number of reported fatalities due to the enhanced Southwest Monsoon (Habagat) and Tropical Cyclone Inday has risen to 23, while 18 people remain missing, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Tuesday morning. In its 8 a.m. situational report on Tuesday, the NDRRMC said only one of the 23 reported deaths has been validated so far, while the remaining 22 fatalities are still undergoing verification. The lone validated fatality was reported in Region 10. Of the reported deaths, 10 were recorded in Region 12, seven in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), two each in Cagayan Valley and Northern Mindanao, and one each in Western Visayas and Davao Region. The NDRRMC also reported eight injuries, with two already validated and six still undergoing validation. Meanwhile, 18 people remain missing, of whom two cases have been validated and 16 are still being verified. The agency said the effects of Inday and the Southwest Monsoon have affected 782,874 people, or 167,059 families, across 12 regions. A total of 21,081 individuals were staying in evacuation centers, while 3,063 others were preemptively evacuated before the onslaught of the weather disturbances. The NDRRMC also reported 301 flooded areas, 1,202 damaged houses, and 41 damaged infrastructure facilities. Government assistance extended to affected families has amounted to P40.4 million, according to the report. The NDRRMC said validation of casualties is ongoing in coordination with local disaster risk reduction and management offices.