TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines — Northern Samar has been placed under a state of calamity amid widespread flooding and landslides caused by heavy rain brought by the trough of a low-pressure area (LPA)in the past several days.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan declared the state of calamity on Monday upon the recommendation of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
PDRRMC officer Rei Josiah Echano said 238,322 people or 55,789 families were affected by the LPA in the province.
The towns of Catubig, Las Navas, Catarman, Laoang, Mondragon and Lope de Vega reported the highest number of affected residents.
Gov. Edwin Ongchuan urged the Department of Trade and Industry to monitor prices of basic goods.
Damage to agriculture was initially placed at P165 million.
At least 10,505 hectares of agricultural land and 11,029 farmers were affected.
Department of Agriculture regional director Angel Enriquez said validation and acceptance of reports from affected areas are ongoing.
Local governments were asked to continue to monitor field situations and submit damage reports accordingly.
Enriquez said affected farmers were also encouraged to report damage to their respective municipal or city agriculture office for immediate validation and inclusion in the reports.
The provincial engineering office said the cost of damage to infrastructure was estimated at P260 million.
Weather systems death toll rises to 29
Meanwhile, the death toll due to weather disturbances that affected the country this month increased to 29 yesterday.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said latest data showed that 12 people were injured while four others remain missing.
The NDRRMC said 347,382 families or 1,398,103 people have been affected by rain, flooding and landslides since Jan 2.
A majority of the casualties are from Bicol, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga peninsula, Northern Mindanao and Davao.
Up to 37,984 families or 155,203 people remain in 484 evacuation centers.
The bad weather was caused by LPAs, shear line and the northeast monsoon or amihan.
Agri damage hits P373.96 million
The NDRRMC said damage to agriculture was placed at P373.96 million.
Agricultural land in Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao, Soccsksargen and the Bangsamoro Region in Muslim Mindanao were affected.
Damage to infrastructure was estimated at P171.55 million. Twenty-eight roads and 10 bridges were rendered impassable to all types of vehicles.
At least 1,376 houses were damaged.
The NDRRMC said three areas reported communication interruption, 24 cases of power interruption and nine instances of water interruption.
Assistance amounting to P74,540,961.39 was provided to affected communities, the disaster agency said. – Michael Punongbayan, Jose Rodel Clapano