At least 120,797 houses were damaged by Typhoon Odette when it unleashed its wrath in Southern Leyte on December 16, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said in its preliminary report released on Friday.
Of the number, 44,562 are classified as “fully damaged” while 76,235 are categorized as “partially damaged”, DSWD Eastern Visayas Regional Director Grace Subong said in a press briefing.
The typhoon has affected 245,375 families or 984,922 individuals in the southern part of Leyte Island.
“DSWD Eastern Visayas continues to collect critical information from areas affected by Typhoon Odette. Due to power shutdown and unstable mobile phone signal, we have deployed teams to all affected communities,” Subong added.
Col. Erwin Rommel Lamzon, the Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry Division commander of a group of soldiers formed to help rebuild Southern Leyte, said at least four teams of soldiers have been deployed to help build temporary shelters.
“We have soldiers skilled on carpentry sent to Southern Leyte. Part of the team are those who will assist, including our newly-enlisted soldiers,” Lamzon told reporters.
Meanwhile, some 37,209 family food packs have been distributed in Southern Leyte province since last week as the DSWD continues to produce more packs for affected families.
“We have been getting support from the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police to bring food supplies to hard-to-reach areas and island communities,” Subong said.
The typhoon crossed Caraga and Eastern Visayas regions on December 16 with a maximum sustained winds of 195 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 270 kph.
Source: Philippines News Agency