Deaths from 'Kristine' onslaught climb to 46

THE Office of the Civil Defense reported 46 deaths due to the onslaught of Severe Tropical Storm Kristine. OCD Executive Director Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno also said 20 people were reported missing and seven were injured. The figures are still being validated by the OCD. Majority of the deaths were in the Bicol Region with 28. Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) followed with 15. Almost all of the deaths were attributed to landslides and drowning. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said it has so far verified 13 deaths. The number of people affected by Kristine (international name: Trami) rose to 2,656,446. Houses destroyed by the storm numbered 188, with 1,402 others damaged. On Friday, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said Kristine disrupted operations in 115 ports. The PCG said 10,236 individuals, including passengers, truck drivers and cargo helpers, were stranded as stormy seas kept maritime shipping in port. The number of stranded individuals was biggest in northwestern Luzon with 4,247, followed by northeastern Luzon with 2,436, and Western Visayas with 1,112. Other regions affected included Southern Tagalog (840), Northeastern Mindanao (658), Southern Visayas (357), Central Visayas (341), National Capital Region-Central Luzon (162), and Northern Mindanao (83). The storm also halted 2,699 rolling cargoes, and grounded 96 vessels and 17 motorized bancas. Secretary Jaime Bautista of the Department of Transportation (DoTr) said the PCG has assisted 142,000 individuals staying at seaports and deployed 226 rescue teams. Bautista said the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) identified 126 seaports that were affected by Kristine. The ports are in the National Capital Region (NCR) and Central Luzon, northwestern and northeastern Luzon, Southern Tagalog, Bicol, and various areas in Visayas and Mindanao. In Matnog port in Sorsogon, Luzon's gateway to the Visayas and Mindanao, shipping was at a standstill because vessels were prohibited from sailing. Bautista also reported that two fishermen were missing — one off the coast of San Fernando in La Union and the other in Buenavista, Quezon. All of the country's airports have resumed normal operations, Bautista said. Between October 21 and 24, 300 flights were either delayed or canceled, affecting 28,715 passengers. The Department of Agriculture (DA) said crop damage from Kristine reached P80.8 million as of Friday. The DA said 2,864 farmers and fisherfolk in Bicol, the Cordilleras, Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan) and Western Visayas were affected. Agriculture Assistant Secretary and spokesman Arnel de Mesa said an estimated 5,287 metric tons (MT) and 1,570 hectares (ha) of agricultural areas of rice, corn and high-value crops were damaged. Damaged palay or unmilled rice accounted for 5,228 MT or equivalent to P79.34 million. The department said that historically, an average of 500,000 MT to 600,000 MT are lost annually due to typhoons and other calamities. "Unfortunately, the effects of La Niña, particularly Kristine, will hurt our production as we are already at harvest period this wet season," Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said. "It is sad news that areas ready for harvest have been reportedly flooded," Tiu Laurel said. He said the department urged farmers to harvest early and the National Food Authority (NFA) to step up rice buying to minimize the damage and increase rice buffer stock. Around 60 to 70 percent of the area planted to rice during this wet season has been harvested, Tiu Laurel said at a joint briefing at Malacañang on Friday. The DA earlier said that losses from the combined effects of El Niño, the shear line, monsoon and trough of low-pressure area, as well as typhoons Aghon, Carina and Enteng, amounted to nearly P23 billion as of September. In response, the department said it has distributed assistance to those stricken by extreme weather, and around P80 million worth of agricultural inputs are ready to be delivered. Loan programs under the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC), the Quick Response Fund (QRF), and funds from the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC) are available to indemnify affected farmers, according to the DA. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Friday that Kristine had exited the country. Pagasa said Signal No. 1 remained in some areas, including Metro Manila, and northern and central Luzon. Earlier, Pagasa Administrator Nathaniel Servando said there was a possibility that Kristine would curve back to the country. "When it reenters, another landfall is also not ruled out," Servando said. Pagasa is also keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Kong-rey, 2,410 kilometers east of Southern Luzon and moving northwest at 35 kilometers per hour. Pagasa could not say if Kong-rey would enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) or if it would aff