MANILA – The municipal government of Laurel in Batangas province, which was among the hardest-hit areas by Severe Tropical Storm Kristine last week, continues to provide relief to the affected townsfolk with help from the private sector and individual volunteers.
In a social media post of the local government unit (LGU) on Monday, it said distribution operations continue for the affected townsfolk in several designated sites such as those in Poblacion 3, Poblacion 5, Bugaan East Evacuation Center, San Gabriel and Gulod Barangay Hall, and Colegio de Laurel.
The residents are receiving food packs, trays of eggs, water and used clothing.
The LGU said a total of 4, 119 individuals were affected by the storm in the town, of whom 1, 524 are in different evacuation centers while 2, 595 are temporarily staying with relatives.
The Municipal Police Station of Laurel, meanwhile, reported 11 fatalities due to the onslaught of Kristine. Ten individuals died due to landslides, while one succumbed to cardiac arrest at the height of the storm.
Clearing operations continue, with a total of 15 heavy equipment deployed to various villages of the town. The LGU, national government agencies and private individuals have joined efforts to make roads passable.
Also undergoing repair are power lines to restore the supply to over a dozen barangays that experienced outages.
On the other hand, the municipal government of Cuenca has confirmed the retrieval of two bodies from a landslide-hit area in Barangay Lumampao.
The victims are a mother and her 12-year-old son.
The conduct of search and retrieval operations by the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office personnel and volunteers are still ongoing. (With report from Pot Chavez/PNA)