P32M in crops lost to flooding in Bicol; evacuees return home

LEGAZPI CITY — Some P32 million in crops were lost in Bicol due to widespread flooding spawned by torrential rains brought on by Tropical Storm ‘Quinta’ on Wednesday, the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said Friday.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) said their initial report showed that 14,898 metric tons of rice and corn products valued at P32 million planted in 982 hectares of land in the provinces of Albay, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte and Masbate were destroyed due to flooding.

The report said P29 million worth of rice crops planted in 3,357 ha were lost in Albay and the Camarines provinces, while 743 metric tons of corn worth P3.5 million planted in 1,641 ha in Camarines Sur and Masbate were also destroyed.

RDRRMC chairperson Bernardo Alejandro said damages to agricultural crops are expected to increase as reports come in from other agriculture units.

In Albay, the provincial disaster council here said they have allowed thousands of families housed in evacuation camps to return home after flooding subsided in their villages.

Maria Cristina Ador, of the Albay Public Safety and Emergency office, said there were at least 2,513 families or 13,067 people housed in various evacuation centers in the towns of Polangui, Camalig, Jovellar, Malinao and Bacacay at the height of the flood in these areas from late Wednesday to early Thursday.

She said thousands of evacuees living in low lying areas in this city were also sent home Thursday night and early Friday after the weather improved and flood waters in the affected areas had subsided.