Death toll from Typhoon Rolly rises to 20

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 2) — Super Typhoon Rolly, said to be one of the strongest cyclones in the world this year, has left at least 20 people dead in the country, officials said Monday.

As of 9pm, the Office of Civil Defense-Bicol Region has reported four more casualties in the region.

The latest situation report showed that 14 deaths were recorded from Albay and six in Catanduanes.

In a government briefing earlier in the day, Batangas Governor Hermilando Mandanas noted that at least one person was reported missing in the province.

Ricardo Jalad, executive director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said officials are finalizing details of the casualty count.

The council's spokesperson, Mark Timbal, told CNN Philippines that 1,468,296 persons or 372,716 families in Regions II, III, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, and V were affected by the typhoon. Of this number, he said that 416,195 people are currently inside evacuation centers.

Timbal said that most of the evacuees already already fled their homes before the typhoon hit the country on Sunday. According to NDRRMC’s situation report as of 11 a.m. Monday, 457,903 residents or 126,300 families were pre-emptively evacuated in Regions II, III, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, V, VIII, Cordillera Administrative Region, and National Capital Region.

Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, on the other hand, said that there are now only 19,000 households experiencing power outages in Batangas, Bulacan, Laguna, Cavite, Rizal, and Metro Manila as of 6pm.

Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar added that 14 road sections remain closed to the public due to fallen trees, toppled electric posts, landslides and flooding.

Timbal said that the typhoon damage costing is ongoing and NDRRMC is expecting to publish the amount within 24 hours.

Rolly was a super typhoon when it slammed into the eastern province of Catanduanes on Sunday. It has since weakened into a tropical storm and is expected to exit the Philippine monitoring area on Tuesday.