Philippines typhoon: Death toll likely to cross 100 as provincial governor appeals for aid

The official toll is still at 31 with disaster response agencies awaiting tallies from cut-off regions

Philippines Asia Storm (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The death toll from a devastating super storm in the Philippines is likely to cross 100 as the  governor of an island province said on Sunday that at least 49 people died in Typhoon Rai with many towns still cut off in the aftermath.

The official death toll, however, is still at 31 with disaster response agencies and the national police awaiting tallies from regions that were cut off due to a communications and power outage.

Governor Arthur Yap of Bohol province posted a video statement and photographs of the destruction caused by the typhoon on his official Facebook page and said that at least 10 people were still missing and 13 were injured. He warned that the casualties might increase as only 33 out of 48 mayors were able to report back to him.

Mr Yap said there was an urgent problem of availability of fresh drinkable water since water stations were down during a nationwide power outage, reported the Associated Press. He ordered mayors in his province to invoke their emergency powers to secure food packs and drinking water for large numbers of people.

"It is very clear that the damage sustained by Bohol is great and all-encompassing," AP quoted Mr Yap as saying.

In Dinagat Islands in the south, where strong winds damaged about 90% to 95% of houses, 10 people have died, according to provincial chief information officer Jeffrey Crisostomo.

The typhoon rampaged through the central island provinces on Thursday and Friday, affecting about 780,000 people and displacing more than 300,00, before moving toward the South China Sea.

President Rodrigo Duterte has promised 2 billion pesos ($40m) in aid and is due to visit Bohol on Sunday.

“Our plan is to source the fund from different offices in small amounts. With God’s mercy, I might more or less, in my view, immediately raise P2 billion. We’ll see tomorrow if we can release that immediately. But that is what I am promising you. It’s in billions, but it’s not enough actually,” ABS-CBN quoted him as saying.

“During devastations, that might only be enough for one place. If you really want to help all affected areas and you make reparations for the damage, that might not be enough. But you can all share that amount,” he said.

Airline companies resumed majority of their domestic flights on Sunday, except for those bound for Siargao island and Puerto Princesa city, the news outlet reported.

The typhoon packed winds of 195kph and gusts of up to 270kph and is being said to be one of the most powerful in recent years to hit the archipelago.

Over 18000 military, police, coast guard, and fire services personnel worked to evacuate residents trapped on rooftops and trees as the floodwaters rose. On Dinagat Islands, an official said the roofs of nearly all the houses, including emergency shelters, were either damaged or blown away.

At least 227 cities and towns lost electricity, which has since been restored in only 21 areas, officials said.

Al Jazeera quoted transport secretary Arthur Tugade as saying that President Duterte has ordered to direct the needed resources to help those in need. “Rest assured, we will deliver,” Mr Tugade said.

(With additional reporting from agencies)