Marines pull out from disaster areas

MANILA, Philippines - A battalion of Marines deployed by the Philippine Navy to help in the relief efforts in the areas ravaged by Super Typhoon Yolanda has pulled out.

In a statement, the Navy said the members of Naval Task Group “Tulong Visayas” and Marine Battalion Landing Team 11 have been ordered to pull out from the disaster areas and would be given tribute for their heroic and meritorious acts in helping the victims of Typhoon Yolanda.

“After providing HADR (Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response) to the victims of Typhoon Yolanda in Eastern Visayas, Naval Task Group Tulong Visayas and Marine Battalion Landing Team 11 are expected to arrive at Commodore Rudiardo A. Brown Beaching Area, Naval Base Heracleo Alano, Sangley Point, Cavite City on board BRP Dagupan (LC-551) today,” the Navy said.

The Navy said the troops had been engaged in rehabilitation and relief efforts for several weeks since Yolanda struck Eastern Visayas last month.

On the other hand, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) added two more to its casualty list, which now stands at 6,100 dead.

The NDRRMC said 27,665 were injured and 1,779 are still missing.

The additional two bodies came from Tacloban City which as of yesterday has already recorded 2,487 unidentified fatalities.

Eastern Visayas has the most number of typhoon fatalities numbering 5,748, most of them from Tacloban City; Western Visayas with 250; Central Visayas with 74; Southern Tagalog with 22; Bicol Region with six and one each from Western and Northern Mindanao.

NDRRMC executive director Eduardo Del Rosario reported that 3,424,593 families or 16,073,181 people from 12,139 barangays in 44 provinces in nine regions were affected.

Of this number, 890,896 families or 4,095,280 persons were directly displaced and their basic needs are now being attended to by the government and non-government volunteer groups inside and outside 381 evacuation centers.

As of yesterday, damage to infrastructure and agricultural crops is estimated at P36.6 billion, with Del Rosario also reporting that P1.2 billion worth of relief assistance have already been provided for the affected families by the government and non-government groups.