DISASTER. Personnel from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) conduct rescue operations in the municipality of Buguias in Benguet province after a landslide incident damaged a residential building on Wednesday (July 26, 2023) due to Typhoon Egay. The typhoon has resulted to several landslides and flooding in the region. (Photo grabbed from Bfp Cordillera Pis Facebook page)
BAGUIO CITY – Around 2,421 families from the region were affected by Super Typhoon Egay as of 5:00 p.m. of July 26, while reports about four casualties are being validated, the Cordillera Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (CDRRMC) said.
The CDRRMC said 66 families have been evacuated and sent to the 13 established evacuation centers , 118 families were transferred to residences of relatives and friends while other families remain in their residences but are being assisted.
It has received reports about four casualties in Benguet but the information are still subject to validation.
Relatively, the municipal disaster risk reduction unit of Bontoc town, Mountain Province reported a casualty, who died from a landslide triggered by big bamboo grass that fell on a shanty where the victim sought shelter, at around 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
The Baguio City DRRM also reported the death of a minor after his family’s residence in the village of Kitma was buried from mud caused by a landslide.
Strong rains and winds brought about by Egay and the monsoon rains that is enhanced by the typhoon continued to batter several provinces and this city until early morning of Thursday.
Road condition
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in the region, in a separate report, said that there are 18 road lines that are not passable as of 9:14 a.m. on Thursday.
“Some of the previously reported closures are now one-lane passable or have been punched-through opened,” said the report shared to government information officers in the Cordillera, which was, in turn, disclosed to journalists.
Among the roads that are not passable are the Abra-Kalinga Road, Abra-Ilocos Sur; Apayao-Ilocos Norte Road, Claveria-Calanasan-Kabugao Road, Apayao (Calanasan)-Ilocos Norte Road, Apayao-Ilocos Norte Road; Outlook Drive in Baguio City; Kennon Road, Benguet-Vizcaya Road, Baguio-Bontoc Road, Abatan-Mankayan-Cervantes Road, Gov. Bado Dangwa Road, Congressman Andres Acop Cosalan Road; Kalinga-Abra Road; Mt. Province-Cagayan Road via Tabuk-Enrile; and Mountain Province-Ilocos Sur Road via Tue.
Power restoration
The Benguet Electric Cooperative (Beneco), which services Benguet and this city, reported that at least 60 percent of the franchise area has been energized as of 8:00 a.m. Thursday,.
Beneco also estimates initial damage to infrastructure at around PHP3 million.
Available relief items
Meanwhile, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), based on the CDRRMC report, said there are 51,039 family food packs worth PHP39 million and 29,560 non-food items amounting to PHP65 million that have been “placed all over the region thru the disaster risk prepositioning agreement (DRPA) entered into with local government units to place in their warehouses the relief items of the DSWD.”
The report from the regional DSWD said procurement of some 100,000 pre-packed family food packs as well as raw materials that are equivalent to 20,000 family food packs is ongoing.
It said the Department continues to deliver additional relief items in warehouses and food hubs to ensure readiness since the weather disturbance as well as the monsoon rains that was enhanced by the typhoon continues to be felt in the Cordillera.
In a separate report as of 6:00 a.m. on Thursday, the DSWD said 44 active evacuation centers are serving the affected families.
The same report shows that there are 60 partially damaged houses and two totally destroyed ones. (PNA)
