Duterte proclaims state of calamity in Typhoon Odette-battered areas
President Rodrigo Duterte has declared a state of calamity in the areas most battered by Typhoon Odette.
In his Dec. 21 Talk to the People address, Duterte signed the declaration as recommended by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
The affected regions are MIMAROPA (Region 4-B), Western Visayas (Region 6), Central Visayas (Region 7), Eastern Visayas (Region 8), Northern Mindanao (Region 10), and Caraga (Region 13).
“The declaration of a state of calamity will hasten the rescue and relief and rehabilitation efforts of the government and the private sector including kung saan galing tulong, be it outside or tayo-tayo lang. This will also be an effective mechanism to control the prices of goods and commodities in the areas," Duterte said.
He added that he will be flying out to the affected areas on Dec. 22
NDRRMC executive director Ricardo Halad said that as of Dec. 21, Typhoon Odette had left 307,837 affected families, 481,000 displaced individuals, 156 people dead, 37 missing, and 207 people injured.
The Philippines' strongest typhoon this year initially hit the coasts of Siargao on Dec. 16 and packed maximum sustained winds of 195 kilometers an hour. It then made several landfalls in other Visayas and Mindanao areas including in Dinagat Islands, Southern Leyte, areas in Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental, and Palawan.