325 DEAD AS TYPHOON ‘PABLO’ SET TO LEAVE PHILIPPINES

DOHA, Qatar - Typhoon “Pablo,” which has left more than 325 people dead with hundreds more missing, placed the Philippines on center-stage at the Doha climate talks, spurring calls by developing countries for urgent steps to combat climate change.

In Manila, The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council on Thursday appealed to the public for any assistance for the victims of typhoon "Pablo" in the Visayas and Mindanao as the death toll from the storm’s rampage continued to rise.

NDRRMC executive director Benito Ramos said the death toll now stands at 327, adding that now was not the time for fingerpointing as rescuers scramble to find at least 380 other persons who remain missing, most of them in gold-rich Compostela Valley.

"Huwag tayo magsisihan, dahil sa panahon na ito dapat nagtutulungan tayo (Let’s not start casting blame because at times like this we should be helping each other). Stop blaming each other and just help. Maski isang sakong bigas lang, malaking tulong na ‘yun (Even a sack of rice is a big help)," Ramos said in an interview.

He said he has ordered all regional offices of the Office of Civil Defense to cancel Christmas and New Year parties and instead just help out with relief efforts in typhoon-stricken areas.

The 1 p.m. update of the NDRRMC Thursday said only 68 of the 327 storm fatalities have been identified so far.

Most of the dead were Compostela Valley, particularly the town of New Bataan, which was struck by mudslides, and coastal towns in Davao Oriental, where Pablo first made landfall.

Of the missing, over 340 are from New Bataan, the NDRRMC said.

Thousands were left homeless as strong winds and floods damaged 4,704 houses. Over 250,000 persons remain in hundreds of evacuation centers in the Visayas and Mindanao.

Damage from the typhoon has been currently pegged at P180 million.

Source: Agency