Severe Tropical Storm Kristine impacts 1.5M Filipinos, damages P38.7M

Severe Tropical Storm Kristine affected at least 1,498,966 individuals in Bicol, with 34,099 families in evacuation centers and 7,571 staying with relatives.

The storm made landfall in Isabela on Wednesday night, October 23, causing widespread flooding and landslides in Albay and Camarines Sur.

Record-breaking rainfall was recorded in Daet, Camarines Norte (528.5 mm) and Legazpi City, Albay (431 mm) within a 24-hour period.

Infrastructure damage includes the collapse of multiple bridges and parts of Guinobatan being buried by lahar from Mayon Volcano.

A landslide in Ligao City claimed the life of a 36-year-old man, while three fishermen from Masbate remain missing since October 22.

The local governments of Albay, Jose Panganiban in Camarines Norte, Sorsogon, and Tagkawayan town in Quezon Province declared a state of calamity.

Severe Tropical Storm Kristine has caused an initial P38.7 million in damage to agriculture and infrastructure across the Bicol region.

At least P29.4 million in losses were reported across rice and corn farms in Camarines Norte, Masbate, and Camarines Sur, with figures expected to rise.

Preliminary infrastructure damage exceeding P9.3 million was reported in Masbate and Catanduanes, and as of Friday morning, 788 villages, primarily in Albay and Camarines Sur, were still submerged.