Calls for help pouring in as floods not subsiding

MANILA, Philippines — Rescuers in regions hardest hit by Severe Tropical Storm Kristine raced yesterday to reach people still stranded in areas made inaccessible by flooding, as disaster officials confirmed 81 deaths and almost half a million people displaced.

In the hard-hit Bicol region, residents trapped on the roofs and upper floors of their homes were still awaiting desperately needed assistance, officials said.

“The floods have yet to subside. Calls asking for help are still pouring in here,” regional police director Andre Dizon told AFP.

“We need to rescue them as soon as possible because starvation can be a problem. We’re hearing reports that children are already getting sick.”

In Camarines Sur, food and drinking water were in increasingly short supply as some areas remained completely submerged and difficult to access, he added.

President Marcos visited the area yesterday to inspect the damage before meeting with provincial officials.

The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and the National Disaster Risk Reduction
 Management Council (NDRRMC) said that aside from the 81 confirmed deaths as of yesterday, Kristine also left 66 people injured and 34 still missing.

The OCD and the NDRRMC, however, said the circumstances surrounding the reported deaths were still being validated.

Police have recorded 31 deaths in Bicol alone, mostly due to drowning. The number of confirmed dead in Batangas stood at 51, provincial police chief Jacinto Malinao said yesterday, with at least 22 people missing.

In Batangas, rescuers were using backhoes and shovels to dig through mud as high as 10 feet in a desperate search for the missing in areas hit by landslides.

“We are desperate to find people in safe condition. Deep inside, I am hoping that many of those reported missing are not under the mud and boulders, but simply went somewhere without telling others,” Malinao said.

Kristine’s heavy rains, flooding and landslides have so far affected a total of 986,974 families or 4,207,387 persons in various regions across the country. Of the number, the NDRRMC said 84,295 families or 318,538 persons are staying at 6,452 different evacuation centers in various provinces, particularly in the