Typhoon damage in Batanes hits P445 M

TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan, Philippines – Damage to infrastructure and agriculture in Basco, Batanes due to Typhoon Ferdie was initially placed at P445 million, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Cagayan Valley reported yesterday.

Batanes was placed under a state of calamity last week.

The OCD said it continues to assess the damage sustained in the other towns in the province, including Itbayat, where the typhoon made landfall.

Vice President Leni Robredo called on the private sector and humanitarian aid agencies to help provide assistance to those who lost their homes and livelihood due to the typhoon.

Citing reports from local officials, Robredo said many areas are still without electricity, water and telecommunications service.

Robredo, who chairs the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, was set to hold an emergency meeting with housing agencies yesterday to discuss the rehabilitation of houses destroyed by the typhoon.

She earlier said the government would come up with a post-disaster shelter response policy by the end of the year with assistance from the World Bank.

The WB is assisting the government in crafting a comprehensive housing roadmap to be completed early next year, she added.