Super Typhoon Rai (also known locally by Odette) has now claimed at most 375 lives since it ripped through archipelago late last Wednesday, CNN affiliate CNN Philippines reported. Citing the Philippine National Police, CNN Philippines reported. The PNP reported that at least 515 people were injured and 56 remain missing.
Richard Gordon, chairman of the Philippine Red Cross, stated Tuesday that five bridges in Palawan were destroyed by the storm. According to official 2020 figures, the western province is home to nearly 1 million people.
“Homes are totally destroyed. Gordon stated that we are working to get urgent supplies, including water, food, and medicine. “Communities are completely cut off.”
Gordon appealed to the international community for funds to support emergency rescue efforts.
He said, “Millions of people are affected by this Typhoon, and supplies have become scarce.”
Rai, the 15th Typhoon to strike the Philippines this year made landfall at Siargao Island, a popular tourist spot and surfing destination in northeast Mindanao’s Caraga region. It initially had winds of up to 160 miles an hour, equivalent to a Category-5 storm.
Although many storm preparations and preemptive evacuations were initiated earlier in the week when heavy rains began to fall, millions of people still felt vulnerable.
Rai, on its way west, tore down trees, homes, and power cables. It also brought heavy rains, flooding, and landslides. The storm destroyed entire communities, and made hundreds of thousands homeless.
Surigao City is one of the worst-hit areas. Survivors were seen calling out for food and water in the midst of uprooted trees, and even electricity poles. Police were seen taking down broken branches from roads.
Save the Children estimates that at least 4.1million children were affected by the Typhoon. It said that more than 16,000 families from Caraga, which was hard hit by the typhoon, are currently sheltering in cramped evacuation centres.
Jerome Balinton is the humanitarian manager for the organization. He said that the possibility of diseases spreading to these facilities is a matter of “great concern”.
Balinton expressed concern for the longer-term problems that may arise from the typhoon’s devastation. These include food security, education, and other issues.
Balinton stated that although we are still not able to determine the extent of the damage, schools have suffered widespread destruction. “This disaster can expose more vulnerable communities to exploitation.”