AT least three people were killed while four others were injured due to severe tropical storm Florita (international code name Ma-on), the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported on Thursday.
The three fatalities were reported in the provinces of Kalinga and Cagayan in Northern Luzon and Camarines Sur in Bicol region although the disaster agency said the death in Bato, Camarines Sur is still subject for validation.
Florita lashed Northern Luzon on Tuesday and affected the whole of Luzon before exiting from the country on Wednesday but not after causing floods in villages and even incidents of landslides.
On Thursday, the NDRRMC reported that some areas in Northern Luzon are still flooded while a number of roads and bridges have remained impassable.
The typhoon affected 11,953 families or 47,169 individuals in 392 barangays in Regions 1, 2 and 4A and in the National Capital Region. Of the families affected, 1,726 have remained in evacuation centers.
Army forces, reservists and Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) cadets are helping in the clearing and relief operations in typhoon-stricken communities.
Army spokesman Col. Xerxes Trinidad said the 17th Infantry Battalion and reservists are helping in the distribution of family food packs and road clearing efforts in several towns in Cagayan and Apayao provinces.
The same efforts were undertaken in Isabela.
The Philippine Reservists Act or Republic Act 7077 mandates reserve units to assist relief and rescue efforts during calamities.
-30-