FLOODED FARMS. Some rice fields in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte remain submerged in floodwaters on Thursday (Aug. 31, 2023). Goring left the province with PHP401 million worth of partial infrastructure damage, while damage assessment to agriculture is still ongoing. (Photo by Leilanie G. Adriano)
LAOAG CITY – The province of Ilocos Norte sustained around PHP401 million in infrastructure damage from Typhoon Goring, while damage assessment to agriculture is ongoing.
Marcel Tabije, local disaster risk reduction and management officer IV of Ilocos Norte, confirmed this on Thursday as work resumed for government workers.
Classes on all levels, however, remained suspended for the safety of the students.
“Most of the infrastructure damage was flood control projects and irrigation system with additional damage from Egay,” said Tabije, adding that the province is still on red alert due to the continuing threat of monsoon rains.
Goring affected 128 barangays, 11,271 individuals, damaged five houses due to landslide, and flooded 2,521 houses, based on the latest report of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC).
As of this posting, the Ilocos Norte government is inspecting the structural integrity of public buildings and infrastructures in the province.
Continuing post-calamity relief operations particularly in isolated and flooded areas are ongoing with food packs and hot meals served in evacuation sites.
As of Thursday, multiple power interruptions are being experienced in the different parts of the province while the Smart communication line in Adams town has been temporarily out of service since Wednesday.
All major routes are likewise passable except for some barangay roads with flooded spillways.
In Paoay town, the McArthur bridge between Cayubog and Pambaran remains closed to all types of vehicles on Thursday as the bridge has been damaged by raging floodwaters.
Isolated water outages in some local government units have also been reported but details have yet to come in. (PNA)
