Tacloban City (CNN Philippines, January 17) — The province of Northern Samar was placed under a state of calamity after floods and landslides displaced over 230,000 residents and damaged farms and infrastructure, officials said.
Members of the provincial board made the declaration on Monday, Jan. 16, during a session headed by Vice-Governor Clarence Dato.
Governor Edwin Ongchuan earlier requested the board to declare a state of calamity, as recommended by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
The national disaster response agency listed two persons dead in the province as a result of the calamity.
According to the provincial disaster office, 238,322 individuals or 55,789 families were affected in the towns of Catubig, Las Navas, Catarman, Laoang, Mondragon, and Lope de Vega
Damage to infrastructure was estimated at ₱260 million, based on a report from the provincial engineering office. An additional ₱160 million worth of damage on nationally-funded infrastructure was reported by the Northern Samar 1st Engineering District.
Agriculture suffered ₱104.6 million in losses, most of which were devastated newly planted rice fields, according to the Provincial Agriculture Office’s report.
The provincial government distributed relief assistance in the form of food packs and distilled water to affected towns. The Department of Social Welfare and Development also provided additional family food packs as requested by local government units.
Following the declaration of a state of calamity, Ongchuan ordered the provincial Trade department to monitor prices of products and establish price control.
Death toll rises
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Meanwhile, in its latest report, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said 29 people have died due to the shear line and northeast monsoon. Twelve others were injured, while 4 remain missing.
The report said these weather conditions affected 1,956 barangays in 14 regions.
The NDRRMC said a total of 347,382 families (1,398,103 individuals) were affected.
So far, damage to infrastructure has reached P171.5 million, while damage to agriculture is pegged at over P399 million.
