Serial cyclones: 685,071 persons displaced due to ‘Nika,’ ‘Ofel’ and ‘Pepito’

November 18, 2024 | 12:17pm

MANILA, Philippines — More than half a million individuals have been displaced by the combined effects of Typhoons Nika, Ofel and Pepito, the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council reported on Monday, November 18. 

Of the 685,071 displaced persons, at least six in 10 found shelter in evacuation centers, while the remaining 40% sought temporary refuge elsewhere.

The NDRRMC recorded 695,108 people who preemptively left their homes to seek refuge in safer locations. These individuals are from the Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, and Bicol regions, as well as Metro Manila. 

This contrasts sharply with the response to tropical cyclones “Kristine” and “Leon,” where only 168,039 individua