Tarlac declares state of calamity

TARLAC CITY — The provincial board has belatedly declared a "state of calamity" after damage the province suffered from the onslaught of typhoon "Harurot" and floods spawned by a "monsoon rough" early this month were assessed to have reached "calamitous proportions."

In a resolution, the provincial board described the typhoon and flood damage to be "inestimable," citing the "dislocation of a number of families, loss of lives and destruction of properties."

During the assault of "Harurot," at least two farmers in La Paz town drowned in the swollen Rio Chico River.

Subsequent floods affected more than 14,000 families, while landslides isolated a number of upland villages.

The Department of Public Works and Highways and the provincial engineering office placed infrastructure damage at P18 million, while provincial agriculture chief Bartolome Fajardo said agricultural losses reached about P11 million.

During the week-long "monsoon trough" that spawned days of continuous heavy downpour, a 17-year-old boy was swept away by strong currents in the swollen Camiling River. His bloated body was later fished out in neighboring San Clemente town.

Fajardo earlier reported to Gov. Jose Yap that floods destroyed palay crops worth P25.77 million, while fishpond owners suffered losses amounting to nearly a million pesos.

Both calamities cut off traffic in major thoroughfares such as the MacArthur Highway, the main link between Metro Manila and Northern Luzon, and the Tarlac-Sta. Rosa route, which connects the province to neighboring Nueva Ecija.

Yap said the provincial disaster coordinating council nearly ran out of jute sacks for sandbagging operations in low-lying villages along the Tarlac River here and in the towns of Gerona, Paniqui and Moncada.