AS RELIEF and recovery operations continue a week after the devastation of tropical depression Usman, latest data from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) indicate 126 reported deaths, 26 missing and 75 injured. As of the Jan. 6 NDRRMC update, more than 13,000 families composed of almost 58,000 individuals are still in evacuation centers while another 19,825 families remain displaced. A total of 675,777 people have been affected by the flooding and landslides triggered by the storm. Although Usman weakened into a low pressure area as it passed through the country, it still left major toll in four regions, namely: CALABARZON (Cavite-Laguna-Batangas-Quezon-Rizal), MIMAROPA (Mindoro-Marinduque-Romblon-Palawan), Bicol, and Eastern Visayas. Bicol suffered the biggest casualties. In terms of damage to infrastructure and agriculture, NDRRMC said latest field reports total P4.25 billion, with almost P949 million in farm losses and P3.3 billion in roads, bridges, public buildings, and private structures.

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