The death toll from Typhoon in the Philippines has risen to nearly 100

Key takeaways:

• According to the governor of a central Philippine island province, at least 49 people died as a result of Typhoon Rai’s devastation in just half of the towns that we’re able to contact him.

As per the governor of an island province in the central Philippines, at least 49 people died in the devastation caused by Typhoon Rai in just half of the towns that managed to contact him, bringing the death toll in the strongest typhoon to hit the country this year to nearly 100.

Governor Arthur Yap of the province of Bohol said ten more people were missing and 13 were injured and that the death toll could rise significantly because many mayors were unable to contact him due to communication failures.

In a statement shared on Facebook early Sunday, Yap requested provincial mayors to spend the money to quickly secure food and drinking water, which was an urgent problem. Water stations had been unable to operate due to a power outage.

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“It is very obvious that the damage sustained by Bohol is great and all-encompassing,” Yap said after participating in a military aerial survey of typhoon-ravaged towns.

He claimed that the inspection did not cover four towns where the typhoon blew in as it ripped through central island provinces on Thursday and Friday. According to the government, approximately 780,000 people were affected, with more than 300,000 residents forced to flee their homes.

The disaster-response agency and the national police reported at least 39 other typhoon deaths. Officials on the Dinagat Islands, one of the first southeastern provinces to be hit by the typhoon, reported 10 deaths in just a few towns, bringing the total number of deaths to 98.

On Saturday, President Rodrigo Duterte took a flight to the region, promising a new aid package worth 2 billion pesos ($40 million).

At its peak, the typhoon had sustained winds of 195 kilometers per hour (121 miles per hour) and gusts of up to 270 km (168 miles per hour), making it one of the most powerful storms to hit the disaster-prone archipelago in recent years.

As floodwaters rose quickly, residents were trapped on their roofs and trees in Loboc, a riverside town in Bohol. The next day, the coast guard came to their aid. According to an official, the roofs of nearly all the houses on the Dinagat Islands, including emergency shelters, were either damaged or blown away.

Officials said at least 227 cities and towns lost power, with only 21 of them restored it. Three regional airports were also damaged, with two of the remaining closed.

The deaths and widespread damage caused by the typhoon just before Christmas in the predominantly Roman Catholic country brought back memories of another typhoon, Haiyan, which was one of the most powerful on record. It struck many of the central provinces hit hard the previous week, killing over 6,300 people.

The Philippines is hit by nearly 20 storms and typhoons each year. As a portion of the seismically active Pacific “Ring of Fire,” the archipelago is one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries.

Source: CTV News

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