Philippine Death Toll Crosses The Mark Of 400 Because Of The Strongest Typhoon Rai

The Philippine deaths toll caused by Typhoon Rai crossed the mark of 400, the disaster agency said on Friday. The officials are providing food supplies, water, and shelter materials to the hard-hit places even after two weeks the storm struck.

Rai was denoted as the 15th most deadly typhoon that hit South East Asia.

The reported deaths have reached 405, mostly because of drowning. There was falling off trees and landslides, chief of the national disaster agency, Ricardo Jalad, conveyed on the news conference. Almost 83 people are still missing. And 1,147 people were injured in this disaster.

Over 530,000 houses were damaged. 70% of them were damaged completely. The infrastructure and agriculture damages crossed over 23.4 billion pesos ($459 million),Jalad conveyed at the press conference.

The government data showed that the Typhoon affected over 4.5 million people, including 500,000 sheltering in evacuation centers. It hit mostly the areas of Bohol, Cebu, and Surigao del Norte, including the holiday island of Siargao, and the Dinagat Islands. This was a category 5 typhoon that hit on 22nd December.

The Philippines is suffering from inadequate supplies for relief. In the central province, thousands of residents are still without power and fresh water.

Anthony Damalerio, chief of Bohol province’s disaster agency said to Reuters, ‘it caused massive destruction and it was like a bomb was dropped in northern Bohol’.

A popular dive spot of Bohol reported 109 deaths and the rest of the survivors are seeking shelter kits, food, and drinkable water to survive further.

Surigao Del Norte Governor Francisco Matugas told ANC news channel that, ‘Our problem is shelter, those who lost roofs, especially now that this is rainy season in the province’.

Rai evoked the memories of Typhoon Haiyan, which was one of the most powerful and destructive tropical cyclones ever recorded. That killed 6,300 people in the Philippines in 2013.