Tropical Storm Sendong Death Toll At 497, President Aquino To Visit Mindanao On Tuesday

AsianScientist (Dec. 18, 2011) – President Benigno Aquino III will leave for Mindanao on Tuesday, December 20 to personally assess the aftermath of the flashflood that has claimed 497 lives in eight affected areas as of Sunday morning.

The President will visit two areas worst hit by Tropical storm Washi (known as Sendong in the Philippines), Cagayan De Oro City with 215 dead and Iligan with 195.

Philippine Red Cross Chairman Richard J. Gordon will also visit these areas on December 19.

Other areas with casualties were Bukidnon, 47; Compostela Valley, 5; Zamboanga Del Norte, 3; Lanao del Norte, 9; Surigao Del Sur, 1; and Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, 22, according to Philippine Red Cross reports.

The Red Cross also reported earlier 202 injured and 162 others missing.

Approximately 19,759 families or 108,130 people have been affected by Sendong, based on Philippine National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) estimates.

Mindanao is not usually a typhoon prone area and residents were caught unprepared, mostly shocked by the flashfloods that swept away their belongings and source of livelihood such as crops and livestock.

While floodwater has subsided, many families still remained at the evacuation centers while they try to fix and clean their damaged homes from thick mud.

At 4:00 AM (PHT) today, Sendong made another landfall in the vicinity of Puerto Princesa City and is now moving westward in the West Philippine Sea. Sendong is expected to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) tonight.

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Source: Philippine Red Cross; NDRRMC; Photo credit: NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team.
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