'Ompong' agricultural damage up to P9.3B in Cagayan Valley, Cordillera

A farmer inspects his rice plantation devastated by Super Typhoon Mangkhut in Alcala, Cagayan province on September 16, 2018. As Typhoon Manghkut barrelled toward the first Philippine town in its firing line, residents there had a stark choice to make: stay or evacuate. Many chose to remain in order to protect their most precious possession -- the food they produce.
TED ALJIBE / AFP

MANILA, Philippines — Typhoon Ompong (international name Mangkhut) has left at least P9.3 billion worth of agricultural damage in northern Luzon, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

The estimated cost of the damage to agriculture in Cagayan Valley and in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) was at P9,358,000,863 as of Tuesday morning.

Meanwhile, a total of 218,492 families or 893,844 persons in Luzon have been affected by the typhoon. About 61,709 families are being served inside and outside evacuation centers.

Excluding those killed in a landslide in Itogon, Benguet, NDRRMC has tallied eight reported casualties and 21 injured. Two have also been reported missing.

The NDRRMC broke down the number of casualties to one in Region 1, one in Region 3 and six in CAR.

Benguet landslide

"We are just confirming the deaths, 50 plus are still the initial (information) and we still have 40 plus missing," NDRRMC spokesperson Edgar Posadas said on Monday.

Rescue and retrieval operations are still ongoing at a landslide site in Itogon, Benguet, where the official casualty count has risen to 56.

The figure is expected to rise as 40 to 50 people are believed to have been buried under mud.

The typhoon also caused cancellations of 146 international and 135 domestic flights. Four international and 56 domestic flights have resumed.

As of September 17, 159 areas in Regions 1, 4-A, 5, 8, 9, 10, CAR and NCR have experienced power interruptions, 45 of which have already been restored.

Government agencies and NGOs have provided at least P41 million worth of assistance to affected areas in Regions 1, 2, 3, 4-B, NCR and CAR. — Patricia Lourdes Viray

Show comments