Mindanaotoday.com | 3.4K families displaced by Luzon quake: NDRRMC
By: Priam Nepomuceno
MANILA – The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Thursday announced that around 3,456 families in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) have been so far affected by Wednesday’s magnitude 7 earthquake that rocked Abra and nearby provinces.
In its 8:30 a.m. update, the agency said these affected families, equivalent to 12,945 persons, are residing in 139 barangays (villages) of the CAR.
Some 541 families are taking shelter and being aided in 21 evacuation centers with the remainder staying with families and friends.
So far, the NDRRMC confirmed the deaths of four individuals, down by one from Wednesday’s figures, along with 114 injured.
Deaths can be broken down into one in Bangued, Abra; one each in the towns of La Trinidad and Tuba, both in Benguet province; and one in Balbalan, Kalinga.
The fifth death was initially reported as from Gattaran, Cagayan but subsequent field reports cleared this up.
Still undergoing validation are reports of another 17 persons injured.
NDRRMC spokesperson Mark Cashean Timbal earlier told the Philippine News Agency that these figures “are still subject for verification.”
He added that these can be adjusted once verified reports come in from the field.
Damaged houses are placed at around 868 at the CAR, with 857 classified as “partially damaged” and 11 as “totally damaged”.
Infrastructure damage was estimated at PHP33.8 million and these were incurred in Ilocos Region, Central Luzon, and the National Capital Region.
No figures yet are available on the earthquake’s damage to agriculture. (PNA)
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