169K rescued, 539K food packs distributed in STS Kristine aftermath

Teams from the Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine National Police, and Philippine Coast Guard have rescued 169,769 individuals affected by Severe Tropical Storm Kristine as of Tuesday.

Over 539,944 food packs have been distributed in storm-hit areas, with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. directing all national government agencies to provide assistance during his visit to Barangay Causip in Bula, Camarines Sur on October 26.

The estimated damage cost for roads and bridges is around PHP1.3 billion, while agricultural losses are at approximately PHP10 million; power has been restored to 228 out of 352 cities and municipalities that experienced outages due to the storm.

OCD Deputy Administrator for Operations Assistant Secretary Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV reported that 86 out of 99 road sections previously impassable are now accessible, with 4,866 bags of rice distributed from the National Food Authority.

OCD Administrator Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno emphasized the need for local disaster officials to translate important data into local dialects for better understanding and dissemination among communities and decision-makers.