Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 23) — More than 7,000 locals in the Visayas have been affected by gloomy weather brought by Severe Tropical Storm Egay and the southwest monsoon, or habagat, disaster management officials said on Sunday.
In its latest situational report, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said the lives of 2,353 families, or 7,662 people, were disrupted by the weather disturbance.
The NDRRMC said affected residents were from Negros Occidental. Of the number, 6,598 were living in San Enrique town and 1,064 in Pontevedra town.
The agency also reported 1,154 people were displaced, mostly from Pontevedra.
The NDRRMC also said some areas in San Enrique and Pontevedra were still flooded as of Sunday morning. No other information was provided.
In a statement on Sunday, Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos reminded governors and mayors to be \”present and stay in their posts before, during, and after a typhoon hits.\”
He added that local chief executives must implement the \”Operation L!STO\” disaster preparedness protocols in their areas.
Egay, the fifth tropical cyclone to enter the country’s weather monitoring area this year, intensified into a severe tropical storm on Sunday morning and was last spotted east of Daet, Camarines Norte, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.
