The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Wednesday reported that at least seven individuals have died due to the effects of tropical storm “Crising” and the enhanced southwest monsoon (habagat).

Of the fatalities, two have been confirmed and five were still being verified.

Seven persons were reported injured and eight were missing.

A total of 401,439 families or 1,412,845 individuals were affected. Of which, 141,705 were served inside 537 evacuation centers.

Infrastructure damage has already climbed to P3.75 billion, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) reported Wednesday.

DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan said the partial cost damage, which is still subject to field validation, covers P483.69 million damage to national roads, P24.48 million national bridges, and P3.25 billion flood control structures.

Damages were logged in Ilocos Region, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Western Visayas, and Negros Island.

Moreover, a total of 216 road sections and 13 bridges were affected.

Twenty-nine cities and municipalities have so far declared a state of calamity.

Cyclone “Dante” has intensified into a tropical storm, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

It is expected to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Thursday.

Further, as of Wednesday morning, the low pressure area (LPA) spotted west of Babuyan Islands developed into tropical depression “Emong.”

Meanwhile, another LPA still being monitored outside PAR has a “high” chance of developing into a tropical depression within the next 24 hours.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Mines and Geosciences Bureau (DENR-MGB) has warned against the risk of rain-induced landslides and floods across various regions of the Philippines.

Higher rainfall

The rainfall data forecasts from the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, the DENR said, indicated that the General Circulation Model predicts rainfall levels of 80-100mm, while the Weather Research and Forecasting model suggests significantly higher rainfall of 120-150mm within a 72-hour period.

According to the DENR-MGB, 3,009 barangays across 15 provinces in Bicol, Cagayan Valley, MIMAROPA and Western Visayas are classified as “very highly susceptible” to such hazards.

In addition, 4,954 barangays in 22 provinces including the Cordillera Administrative Region CAR, Ilocos Region, Calabarzon, and Central Luzon have been identified as “highly susceptible” to rain-induced landslides and flooding.

In San Fernando, Pampanga, a catastrophic flooding crisis, has paralyzed the province, with authorities confirming 90 percent of Pampanga’s villages now under water.

The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office reported 187 villages across 20 towns and three cities have been inundated, with coastal areas like Masantol, Macabebe, Sasmuan, Candaba and Apalit submerged under 4 to 6 feet of floodwater.