LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte – This province has been placed under a state of calamity due to the severe effects of super typhoon ‘’Carina’’ that enhanced the southwest monsoon or “habagat” last week.
Ilocos Norte sustained more P1 billion in infrastructure and agricultural damage.
Gervy James Gumarit, head of the Communications and Media Office (CMO), said the provincial board unanimously approved Resolution No. 2024-07-330 declaring the state of calamity during their regular session at the capitol here on Monday, July 29.
“There is a need to declare a state of calamity for the provincial government to mobilize the use of its five percent calamity fund to provide relief to the affected families, as well as to reprogram or realign funds for the repair and rehabilitation of the damaged properties and infrastructure,” the provincial board said in the resolution authored by Board Member Dante Franklin Respicio, chairperson of the committee on natural calamities of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.
Engineer Randy Nicolas of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) said 3,288 families, composed of 10,852 individuals, from the landslide and flood-prone areas of Bangui, Badoc, Bacarra, Pagudpud, Banna, Adams, Solsona, Piddig, Burgos, and Paoay, and the cities of Batac and Laoag were affected, with 23 houses partially damaged.
Nicolas said that they validating the reported damage caused by Carina.