Typhoon Rai hits the Philippines, 208 people die as victims
PERMATA POSTS Kind - The death toll in the Philippines as a result of Typhoon Rai swelled to 208. Another 52 people are still missing.
The storm caused devastation in the central and southern provinces over the weekend, according to Roderick Alba, spokesman for the national police, Monday, December 20, 2021. Typhoon Rai has been called the deadliest to hit the Philippines.
Police were deployed for relief operations and ensuring order in the disaster-stricken area. The number of victims mentioned by the police is much higher than the figure recorded by the National Disaster Agency, namely 58 people. Until now, reports from disaster-affected areas are still being validated.
More than half of the deaths reported by police were from the central Visayas region, which includes Bohol province. This area is the most popular tourist destination in the Philippines.
On Sunday, Bohol Governor Arthur Yap reported 74 people had died as a result of typhoon Rai. Relief operations have been sped up but remain hampered by communications and power lines that were badly damaged by the typhoon.
Typhoon Rai displaced 490,000 people in the Philippines. The typhoon moved toward the South China Sea, causing massive destruction in the provinces of Cebu, Leyte and Surigao del Norte over the weekend. Typhoon Ria also hit popular surfing destinations Siargao and the Dinagat Islands.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has committed to disburse around 2 billion pesos (Rp 575 billion) to the province hit by typhoon Rai. The funds were disbursed for recovery.