Typhoon-hit Batanes appeals for aid

Inquirer files

TUGUEGARAO CITY, CAGAYAN, Philippines — Batanes Gov. Marilou Cayco has appealed for assistance for her province mates following the onslaught of Supertyphoon Julian (international name: Krathon), which left more than 2,000 families homeless this week.

On Tuesday night, the provincial board declared Batanes under a state of calamity to allow the local government to use appropriate funds, including its Quick Response Fund, to hasten disaster response and recovery. An initial report from the Batanes Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council placed the initial damage to properties at P611 million.

In a statement, Cayco said the province needed food, drinking water, construction materials, and other essential supplies to aid in the recovery efforts.

READ: Typhoon Julian affects over 149,000 people in PH

Government reports showed that at least 6,854 families (21,398 people) had been directly affected by the typhoon. At least 51 families (163 people) remained in evacuation centers, while nine families were staying with relatives or neighbors as of Wednesday.

“This is the largest number of affected residents we’ve seen compared to previous typhoons,” Cayco said.

Local data also showed that at least 2,463 houses were either damaged or destroyed, and palay and vegetable farms had significant damage, amounting to P4 million in losses for local farmers.

Local officials said road clearing operations were still underway in the towns of Uyugan, Sabtang, Basco and Ivana.

Casualties

Julian had weakened into a typhoon on Wednesday, with the weather disturbance located outside the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) some 275 kilometers west-northwest of Itbayat, Batanes.

The storm, with maximum sustained winds of 165 km per hour (km/h) near the center and gustiness of up to 205 km/h, is expected to reenter PAR today before making landfall in Taiwan.

In its latest bulletin on Wednesday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said eight people from the Cagayan Valley region were injured in typhoon-related incidents, while one from the Cordillera was reported missing.

The disaster response agency said 43,093 families (149,293 people) from the Ilocos, Cagayan Valley and Cordillera regions were affected by Julian. It said 646 families (2,176 people) were staying in 58 evacuation centers across northern Luzon.

While the NDRRMC has yet to confirm any fatality, the Ilocos Norte Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported two deaths—one each in Laoag City and Batac City. Another death was reported in Santa Ana, Cagayan.

On Tuesday, Ilocos Norte was also placed under a state of calamity due to the severe impact of Julian.

Airport operations

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said the operations of Basco and Itbayat airports in Batanes remained suspended on Wednesday. Reports said at least 188 passengers, including 104 tourists, were stranded in the province.

CAAP spokesperson Eric Apolonio said that in Basco, agency personnel were conducting clearing and cleaning operations for the possible opening of the airport for military and rescue flights to aid residents and in preparation for Thursday’s resumption of flight operations from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Basco and Itbayat airports’ office buildings and passenger terminals were damaged by the typhoon.

Apolonio said the operations of airports in Tuguegarao City in Cagayan, and Cauayan City in Isabela were normal on Wednesday. But there were no flights to Palanan Airport, Isabela, and Bagabag Airport in Nueva Vizcaya, due to bad weather.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development said more than P9 million in relief aid had been given to nearly 50,000 families in the three regions most affected by Julian. —with reports from Villamor Visaya Jr., Nestor Corrales, Gillian Villanueva, Jerome Aning, and Kathleen de Villa