A total of 503.57 hectares of rice, corn, and high value crops as well as 34 infrastructure projects were destroyed by Tropical Storm “Neneng” as it left P89 million worth of damage to the agriculture and infrastructure of three heavily affected regions in Northern Luzon.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said Tuesday, Oct. 18, that Ilocos Region (Region 1), Cagayan Valley (Region 2), and Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) incurred P81,555,000 worth of damage to its infrastructure due to Neneng.
Five control projects, several roads with cross drainage, and multiple government facilities were among those destroyed by Neneng in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte which had the biggest chunk of infrastructure loss at P49.8 million.
Sixteen road sections in Buguey, Cagayan were also destroyed by the typhoon which amounted to a P9.1-million infrastructure damage while in CAR, nine roads were damaged in the provinces of Benguet, Abra, Apayao, and Mountain Province worth P22,655,000.
There were 38 houses that were also destroyed by the typhoon in the affected regions.
Meanwhile, agricultural damage in the province of Ilocos Norte alone reached P7,687,525.38, according to the NDRRMC.
Among those damaged were 419.32 hectares of rice; 19.01 hectares of yellow, white and purple corns; and 65.06 hectares of high-value crops in Laoag and Bacarra towns.
The affected population also rose to 29,554 families or 103,662 individuals in 331 barangays across Regions 1, 2, and CAR.
There were still 601 families or 1,865 individuals being served in 71 evacuation centers in the affected regions.
“The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) together with other government agencies joined the local social welfare development office in distributing relief goods and assisting residents affected by Typhoon Neneng,” Col. Jorry Baclor, chief of AFP public affairs office, said.
“A total of 370 DSWD food packs were distributed by the Philippine Army’s 77th Infantry Battalion and other government agencies in Brgy. Alba, San Miguel, and Taytay Baggao, Cagayan,” he stated.
“Reservist-volunteers of the 201st Cagayan Community Defense Center also assisted in transporting food packs in Appari. The Marine Battalion Landing team 10 also conducted rescue operations in Sta. Ana, Cagayan with 38 individuals safely transported to an evacuation center,” he added.
In total, the NDRRMC has distributed P2.69 million worth of assistance to the typhoon victims in Regions 1, 2, and CAR which included family food packs, hygiene kits, and sleeping kits among others.
There were 1,301 individuals that were also rescued by 16 search, rescue, and retrieval (SRR) teams from the AFP, Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) deployed in Regions 1 and 2.