‘Karding’ dead rises to 10

THE National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, recorded one more death related to the onslaught of Typhoon Karding (Noru), bringing the total fatalities to 10.

NDRRMC spokesperson and assistant secretary Raffy Alejandro said of the fatalities, six were from Bulacan, two from Zambales and one each from Quezon and Rizal.

“Yung tatlo dyan is still for verification, ibig sabihin we are waiting for official document. Reported na ito pero meron lang requirements like official report na galing sa region (The three [deaths] are still for verification, which means we are waiting for official documents. This has been reported, but there are requirements like an official report from the region),” Alejandro said in an interview.

He said eight individuals were still missing, five in Camarines Norte, one in Quezon and two in Antipolo.

In terms of damage to properties, Alejandro said P23 million worth of infrastructure and P1.291 billion worth of agriculture were damaged during the onslaught of Karding.

He said 138,000 hectares of rice fields were affected during the typhoon.

A total of 3,708 houses were damaged by the typhoon, of which 1,092 were totally destroyed.

Alejandro said aside from the province of Nueva Ecija, the municipalities of Macabebe in Pampanga and Dingalan in Aurora have already declared a state of calamity due to the weather system which battered northern Luzon as well as the National Capital Region over the weekend.

Ready to provide aid

In Cebu, the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Central Visayas (DSWD 7) said it is ready to provide relief to typhoon survivors in Luzon.

However, DSWD 7 Director Shalaine Lucero told SunStar Cebu on Wednesday, Sept. 28, that they have yet to receive an order from their central office in Metro Manila for them to deliver the relief packs.

Lucero said the DSWD 7 has enough supply of relief goods to distribute to survivors.

She said they have also prepared relief supplies for Cebu for the rainy season.

Karding first developed as a low pressure area in the east of Central Luzon. It further intensified as a super typhoon, devastating provinces in Ilocos Region, Mimaropa and Cordillera Administrative Region, among others.

As of Sept. 28, a total of 39,893 families, equivalent to 157,023 people, were affected by the typhoon, according to the NDRRMC.

Meanwhile, the DSWD Central Office announced that it has released over P22.7 million in relief assistance to Karding survivors.