By Oliver T. Baccay
TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan, Nov. 14 (PIA) - - The northeastern part of this province have incurred more than P1.13 billion worth of damages with four death casualties and one missing due to the tail end of a cold front that brought strong rain to the province last week in Northern Luzon area.
Atanacio Macalan, provincial disaster risk reduction and management officer, reported that there is an estimated P1 billion worth of damages to infrastructure which include the washed-out residences and the damages incurred to public infrastructures like roads, dikes and bridges.
He also said that that there were P128 million damages to agriculture specially on palay, high value commercial crops, and fisheries. An estimated P2 million worth of livestock was also damaged.
“Majority of the evacuees have already returned to their respective houses, except for some whose houses were totally damaged,” Macalan said.
Macalan added that the provincial government, through the leadership of Governor Manuel Mamba, is exploring all possible means to enable immediate recovery of the families affected and rehabilitation of the damages to bring back the normal situation in the areas affected.
Macalan also lauded efforts of the different agencies, organizations and rescue groups that have extended assistance for the response, rescue and relief efforts during the weeklong flooding.
On the part of the police, there were 585 packs of relief goods distributed in Ballesteros and Abulug towns which came from the donations of some of the Valley cops.
Brigadier General Angelito Casimiro, OIC police regional director, said there are still police teams conducting response operations and ensuring public safety in the affected towns. (MDCT/OTB/PIA 2-Cagayan)