Ilocos Norte under state of calamity

By Leilanie G. Adriano

Staff reporter

Laoag City—After being battered by typhoon “Mario” (international name Fung-wong) the provincial government has declared a state of calamity to hasten recovery of those badly affected by the typhoon.

On Sept. 22, Ilocos Norte Gov. Ma. Imelda “Imee” R. Marcos suspended classes in elementary and secondary levels in the province to give both parents and students a chance to gather themselves after the calamity.

On the same day, Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative board President Reynaldo M. Lazo said full restoration of power in the whole province may take four to five days.

Typhoon “Mario” left a swathe of devastation around the province with once casualty, three injured and over P450.2 million in estimated damages in agriculture and infrastructure.

At least 947 houses were also reported totally or partially damaged in the towns of Nueva Era, Burgos, Banna, Piddig, Pasuquin, Paoay, Sarrat and Batac City. The same report also stated that 4,541 houses where underwater and 436 were isolated by flood waters.

On Sept. 21 at about 6 pm, a C130 plane of the Philippine Air Force touched down at the Laoag International Airport carrying 3,125 food packs from the Dept. of Social Welfare and Development. The relief packs were immediately loaded onto waiting trucks and temporarily stored at the Provincial Capitol for inventory and eventual distribution to affected families.

The distribution began on Sept. 22.

Imee meets with agri sector stakeholders

To fast track the recovery of affected farmers, Ms. Marcos met with farmers’ organizations and other agriculture stakeholders at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan hall on Sept. 21, amidst heavy rain fall to jointly formulate a recovery plan.

With at least 45 tons of rice still recoverable in the next 36 hours, the provincial government has tasked local government units with trucks, multi-fast rice mills and dryers to offer their services for free to affected farmers while the National Food Authority pledged to buy the recovered rice. The trucking cost will also be shouldered by the provincial government.

Meanwhile, the Marcos administration guaranteed the availability of a P5 million loan package for mango and dragon fruit growers association with zero interest for a period of one year.

Marginalized farmers with 100 percent damage in high value crops, fish cages and livestock will be given free seed stocks and fertilizer. For the mean time, they were also encouraged to plant immediate cash crops like Chinese kangkong, Chinese pechay, okra, monggo, beans and other vegetables and root crops.

To anticipate the wide spread of diseases such as dengue after typhoon, Ms. Marcos has called on volunteers to participate in the province-wide “Oplan Dalus” or a general cleaning activity.

With just P35 million remaining in its calamity fund, the governor said volunteers may avail of cash allowance through the provincial government’s cash-for-work program.

Resilient Ilocanos rise above ‘Mario’

For over 17 straight hours of intense rain and howling winds, resilient Ilocanos rose above flood waters, landslides, uprooted and fallen trees and electric posts as they hang on to each other until typhoon ‘Mario’ weakened and finally found its way outside of the Philippine area of responsibility.

Due to howling wind on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 20, Maria Corpuz of Casili, Laoag City got nervous and died of heart attack, June Arvin C. Gudoy, head of the Communication and Media Office of the provincial government confirmed this on Sept. 21.

The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council identified the two injured victims as Thelma Ragonjan, 56, of Barangay Lioes in Currimao and Gloria Ganal, 72 of San Antonio, Sarrat. Ms. Ragonjan’s head was injured by a GI roof while Ms. Ganal was electrocuted.

Members of the provincial board were quick to declare the province under a state of calamity on Sept. 20.

For local residents, “Mario’s” wrath for Ilocos Norte came unexpected as the typhoon seemed like a tourist passing through the province’s major tourist destinations on its first day, Sept. 19, enabling the Provincial Resiliency Task Force composed of the Philippine National Police, Provincial search and rescue team, Philippine Air Force and Philippine Army to continue the conduct of evacuation drills covering at least 76 identified flood-prone villages here.

Investing more on disaster preparedness, Ms. Marcos said the conduct of evacuation drills was helpful, though some residents in Badio in Pinili and sitio Tupacan in Bacarra earlier declined to leave their houses amidst stern warnings of imminent flash floods.

Farmers’ livestock however were not spared by typhoon “Mario” as a cattle in San Marcelino, Dingras was drowned by raging floodwaters. Due to howling wind, a fallen tree also killed a water buffalo under the tree in the same barangay.

As soon as the Quiaoit River in Batac City overflowed but before floodwaters reached their homes in Paoay, search and rescue teams have already alerted residents of Brgys. Salbang, San Agustin, San Blas, Cabangaran, Dolores, Cabaguan, Nalasin, Pannaratan, San Pedro, San Juan to evacuate to safer ground, bringing in food packs, water, generator sets and flashlights to affected families.

In Sarrat, a funeral car with a convoy of motorcycle-riding men, wearing helmet and raincoat, followed by a public utility jeep with passengers proceeded to the nearby public cemetery on Saturday afternoon as soon as typhoon Mario weakened with light to moderate rains.

Also, barangay residents and officials immediately cleared the highways with fallen branches of trees and linemen of the Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative and the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines braved the storm as they tried to bring back power supply which was earlier preventively shut down as a precautionary measure. The entire province was without power at the height of the typhoon.

Trapped inside their flooded house in San Nicolas, Florante Nicolas, 35, said with a sigh, “I’m investing on a boat, rather than a car soon.”

“Wag munang isipin ang agrikultura. Masakit man sabihin e talagang tangay lahat at nalunod na. Mga bahay natin, tagpi-tagpi muna at magpalikas kung kinakailangan,” Ms. Marcos said at the height of the typhoon as she urged all Ilocanos particularly in isolated barangays to stay indoors while they were trying to deliver relief goods at the soonest possible time.