DAMAGED. Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Joseph Manotoc inspects a damaged house in Barangay Saud, Badoc, Ilocos Norte on Wednesday (Oct. 26, 2022). He pledged to provide materials for housing while labor will be provided by the Badoc municipality. (Photo courtesy of the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte)
LAOAG CITY – A state of calamity was declared again in Ilocos Norte on Thursday following a magnitude 6.4 earthquake in neighboring Abra Tuesday night.
Members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan presided over by Vice Governor Cecilia Araneta-Marcos unanimously approved the declaration, as the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) reported that 1,456 individuals from 81 barangays were affected, 63 of whom were injured. Eight houses were totally destroyed while 387 houses were partially damaged.
An initial report from the PDRRMC showed some PHP125 million worth of damage to infrastructures like roads, bridges, school buildings, and other equipment.
“The cost of damage can increase more as damage assessment is still ongoing,” PDRRMC head Marcell Tabije said.
Just a week before the quake, a state of calamity had also been declared in the province due to the effects of Typhoon Neneng.
Teresito Bacolcol, officer-in-charge of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), said the Ilocos Region is one of the seismically active regions in the country.
Phivolcs said the seismicity in Abra and its vicinity can be attributed to the presence of several active faults such as the Abra River Fault, West Ilocos Fault System, Bangui Fault, Naglibacan Fault, and Manmanoc Fault, as well as the offshore presence of the Manila trench located west of the province.
Bacolcol said Ilocos residents may experience more aftershocks in the next few weeks or months but these will dissipate over time once the land cracks will stabilize.
On Thursday, Provincial Social Welfare and Development Officer Lilian Rin reported that at least 26 individuals from Dingras and Badoc with damaged houses have received financial cash assistance from the DSWD on Wednesday.
She said shelter assistance will be given next once local authorities identify eligible beneficiaries.
Rin said a total of 2,642 food packs have been prepositioned in seven satellite warehouses of the province while 1,828 food packs have been prepositioned at the Laoag City Centennial Arena.
At least two choppers from the Philippine Airforce also continued to bring relief to the isolated town of Adams and parts of Pagudpud due to a series of landslides and a damaged bridge approach that left some roads impassable.
The tremor also badly damaged the isolation intensive care unit of Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center, and the X-ray machine of San Nicolas Municipal Health Office.
Regional Director Paula Paz Sydiongco said they are still assessing the cost of damage to health facilities in the province.
“We have already established a 24/7 operation of the Emergency Operation Center and augmented two regional epidemiology and surveillance unit officers as emergency officers-on-duty, and one HEMS staff on-call-duty,” she added.
Sydiongco said an emergency composite team is also ready for deployment should the need arise.
She further advised residents to be cautious about the occurrence of aftershocks. (PNA)
