Northern Samar declares state of calamity

TACLOBAN CITY – The provincial board on Wednesday declared a state of calamity in Northern Samar amid the devastation caused by Typhoon Ambo.

The declaration helps Northern Samar Gov. Edwin Ongchuan facilitate the release of calamity funds and fast track the distribution of relief assistance to affected families, said Rei Josiah Echano, chief of the Provincial Risk Reduction Management Office (PRRMO).

“(The provincial government can now) realigned P110 million for recovery purposes. We will also tap and seek help from the national government to fund our recovery programs,” Echano said.

Based on the data of the PRRMO, Ambo displaced 128,034 families consisting of 521,203 individuals, destroyed 1,826 houses, and damaged 22,419 others.

Damage to infrastructure in the province was valued at P127.21 million while damage to palay and other agriculture products was pegged at P93.47 million.

At least 26 people, 14 of them from the town of San Jose, were injured during the onslaught of Ambo.

Northern Samar is the second province in Eastern Visayas to be placed under a state of calamity due to the devastation brought on by Ambo.

On Monday, May 18, nine severely-hit towns in Eastern Samar—Arteche, San Policarpo, Jipapad, Oras, Maslog, Dolores, Can-avid, Taft and Sulat—were also placed under a state of calamity due to Ambo.