MANILA - At least 1.4 million people were evacuated as Super Typhoon Uwan battered large parts of the Philippines over the weekend, with two deaths reported in the Bicol Region and Eastern Visayas, the Office of Civil Defence (OCD) said on Monday.
Philippine News Agency (PNA) reported OCD Deputy Administrator Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV in a video statement to reporters said the evacuees comprised about 426,000 families.
He said the figures were based on data provided by the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
Alejandro said a large number of evacuees came from the Bicol Region, followed by Eastern Visayas and Calabarzon.
He added that around 6,000 evacuation centres are currently active, housing about 318,000 individuals or 92,000 families.
"For casualties, there are reports but still subject to validation, two fatalities: one from Viga, Catanduanes, due to drowning, and another from Catbalogan City, Samar, who was hit by a collapsed structure,” Alejandro said, adding to the report that two other individuals had also been injured.
He said the assessment of damage caused by Uwan to infrastructure and agriculture is still ongoing. The number of houses damaged by the cyclone’s effects stood at around 1,000. - BERNAMA-PNA