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Manila, Philippines – Government troops deployed to areas affected by Typhoon Ulysses have rescued a total of 265,339 people, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said on Monday.
AFP said 1,078 lives were saved from dangerous flooding in northern Luzon, including Cagayan province; while 263,444 people were rescued in southern Luzon after the Ulysses attack.
In Metro Manila, search, rescue and recovery (SRR) teams also assisted a total of 817 residents, it added.
“Our soldiers, airmen, sailors and marines have changed their firearms with ropes, life rings and life jackets to respond to cries for help during the strong and widespread floods that affected our people,” said the chief of staff. of the AFP, General Gilbert Gapay, in a statement.
“AFP leads the SRR group and continues to work with other government agencies to save more lives amid the challenges posed by natural calamities and a global pandemic,” he added.
Members of the SRR group of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) include the Bureau of Fire Protection, the Philippine Coast Guard, the Philippine National Police, the Department of Health – Personnel of Health Emergency Management, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Office of Civil Defense and Philippine Red Cross.
The military said it has deployed a total of 83 SRR teams across the country to assist local government units in their disaster response efforts.
It also dispatched 83 land assets, nine aircraft and 18 water assets to assist in operations.
AFP also launched the Tulong Bayanihan program, a civil-military operations initiative that turns military camps into donation drop-off centers for those wishing to donate and send aid to affected people.
The army is also assisting in the distribution and transportation of food and non-food items in affected communities in northern and southern Luzon.
NOLCOM staff distributed a total of 9,110 relief items; while 2,579 were released by the Luzon Southern Command.
“While AFP has begun to engage in relief efforts in some areas, our response teams continue to challenge heavily flooded communities to conduct search, rescue and recovery operations in hopes of rescuing more people,” he said Gapay.
“Our resistance and Bayanihan have allowed us to overcome obstacles. We call on everyone to stay safe as help is on the way and help will come ”, he added.
The AFP chief said there are more than 100 teams on standby for a possible deployment and surge along with military assets.
