TYPHOON HIT. A farmer in Ilocos Norte rushes to harvest what is left after the recent onslaught of severe tropical storm Maring. The province has recorded an initial over PHP200 million damage particularly to agriculture. (Contributed photo)
LAOAG CITY – Strong winds and heavy rains brought about by severe tropical storm Maring have left over PHP220 million worth of initial damage, the Provincial Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) reported Friday.
Based on its report, the PDRRMC said the biggest damage was recorded on agriculture which accounts for PHP61 million particularly on rice crops.
“Strong winds hit rice crops that are still under flowering and fruiting stage while some high-value crops were submerged in floodwater,” said Marcel Tabije, head of the PDRRMC.
Due to heavy rains, several landslides were reported along the Nueva Era-Abra road as well as the Ilocos Norte-Apayao road in Barangay Maan-anteng, Solsona town.
Except for a drowning incident that caused the life of a woman in Barangay Nagrebcan, Badoc, Ilocos Norte when she was accidentally swept away by a strong river current, no other typhoon-related casualty was reported in the province.
Meanwhile, neighboring Ilocos Sur province sustained around PHP580 million worth of damage to agriculture and infrastructure.
Among the hardest hit are the coastal towns of Sta. Maria, Sta. Cruz, and Sta. Lucia due to massive flooding, affecting 7,053 farmers and 3,467 hectares of farmland planted to rice, corn, and other high-value crops.
Damage to infrastructure has reached PHP432 million, according to the latest report. (PNA)
