MANILA -  More than 34,000 individuals in Cagayan Valley are taking shelter in 24 evacuation centers in the region after heavy winds and rain brought on by typhoon Pepeng (international codename Parma) destroyed their homes, the chairman of the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council said Monday.

Chief Superintendent Roberto Damian said a total of 34,225 or 2,453 families in Cagayan Valley have sought temporary shelter in evacuation centers as of Monday morning.

All in all, he said 11,456 persons or 29,769 families in 24 municipalities in the region have been affected by the typhoon.

"We did a flyover of the coastal towns in northern Cagayan this morning and we saw the extent of the damage caused by the floods brought about by the recent typhoon. The damage to houses is tremendous," Damian told ANC.

The disaster official said Tuguegarao City was the worst-hit by the recent typhoon as it registered 218 totally damaged houses and 1,781 partially damaged houses.

Iguig, a fourth class municipality in the same province, also suffered the brunt of the typhoon with 921 partially damaged houses.

Damian said seven bridges in the region remain impassable due to landslides and floods.

He added that damage to agriculture in the region has been estimated at P1.848 billion.