On December 16, 2021, at around 9 pm, Typhoon Odette (international name Rai) made its landfall in Carcar City, Cebu province. For about 40 minutes, Odette ravaged Southern, Central, and Northern Cebu with strong winds exceeding 260 kilometers per hour.
The southern towns of Cebu province were the most severely battered by the powerful typhoon. Typhoon Odette’s peak struck during high tide, the storm surge it induced brought waves over a hundred meters on land, destroying coastal shelters and livelihoods. As of writing, the Philippine government has recorded at least a hundred deaths.
Typhoon Odette’s wrath rendered several commercial and residential building establishments in Cebu partially damaged or non-operational. Its strong winds and rains uprooted trees and downed electric posts making national roads and streets unpassable. Electricity, major power lines, and electronic signals were downed, making communication to affected far-flung communities more difficult. The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) reported that it will take at least a month before electricity can be fully restored in the province.
As of December 21, 2021, the NDRRMC reported that in Cebu the affected families are 22,416 families and 92, 189 individuals by the typhoon Odette. The damage to region 7 agriculture sector has already hit P43.4 million as of this period. According to DSWD-Disaster Response Operations, Monitoring and Information Center (DSWD-DROMIC), a total of 18,288 families or 69,131 persons were displaced by Typhoon Odette. Water and food were badly needed.
The affected families and communities in Cebu province need our help. Let us support them in every way we can.
