27 dead as ‘habagat’ continues to pound PH

National

THE enhanced southwest monsoon or “habagat” continued to affect the country with authorities recording 27 dead and 18 injuries.

The inclement weather has caused widespread flooding, landslides and infrastructure damage, the Philippine National Police (PNP).

In its 10 a.m. bulletin on Monday, Aug. 17, the PNP said 55 people had been rescued while 14,437 people were displaced and staying in evacuation centers.

Per a report by Philstar, the PNP said 244 of the 34,661 evacuation centers were iccupoed.

The PNP deployed 166 personnel, including 117 assigned to evacuation centers, to assist affected communities.

The Reactionary Standby Support Force has deployed 10,785 personnel as part of the government’s response to the enhanced monsoon.

In the Cordillera, authorities are on heightened alert as continuing rains slowed recovery efforts following the devastation caused by Tropical Cyclones Maymay and Dolphin.

The Cordillera Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported that 164,491 people in 412 barangays were affected by the weather disturbances.

Infrastructure damage has reached P1.646 billion, while the government and its partners have provided P31.1 million in assistance to affected communities.(MyTVCebu)