The typhoon made landfall in the Philippines last Thursday with wind gusts of up to 240 kilometers per hour.
The Philippines declared this Tuesday (12/21/2021) a state of calamity in six regions affected by the devastating Typhoon Rai that left hundreds of deaths as it passed through the center of the country last week as rescue services continue their efforts to access the affected areas.
President Rodrigo Duterte formalized the declaration of the state of calamity, during his weekly address Tuesday night, which would allow local governments to tap into their respective emergency funds to help communities devastated by the typhoon.
The declaration would also allow to control the prices of basic products as well as accelerate rescue and relief efforts in the regions of Mimaropa, Central Visayas, Caraga, Western Visayas, North Mindanao, Eastern Visayas, according to the president.
The typhoon, which made landfall last Thursday with wind gusts of up to 240 kilometers per hour, crossed from east to west through some nine islands where it has caused significant damage to homes and infrastructure, in addition to leaving 375 dead and hundreds injured, according to the police figures.
One million affected
According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), there are more than 500,000 displaced people and more than a million affected by the typhoon.
The NDRRMC said today that Rai damaged more than 15,000 homes, while leaving 239 towns without electricity and causing damage to 67 affected roads and 9 bridges.
In addition to affecting five airports and 122 seaports.
Due to the slow process of confirming the victims, the disaster council estimates the deaths at 177, as well as 38 missing and 275 injured, data lower than those offered by the National Police.
Shantytowns and poor-quality buildings exacerbate the ravages of typhoons, which are becoming increasingly violent in the Philippines due to the climate crisis.
The onslaught of the typhoon, known as Odette in the country and the fifteenth to hit the Philippines this year, has struck at a delicate moment due to fear over the new omicron variant of the coronavirus.