The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Cagayan Valley on Friday said Super Typhoon Leon inflicted the most severe damage on the island province of Batanes.
“Fortunately, our kababayans here weren’t much affected. The mainland of Cagayan Valley has experienced fair weather, but our fellow citizens in the island province of Batanes bore the brunt of the typhoon,” OCD Cagayan Valley Director Leon DG Rafael said.
Director Rafael indicated that he has coordinated with Batanes Governor Marilou Cayco and provincial disaster officials to assess the extent of the destruction. “There has been damage to houses and various crops, as well as landslides on major roads in Batanes,”he reported.
Meanwhile, Cagayan Valley is now experiencing fair weather in time for the observance of All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days. “Minor flooding was reported in cemeteries, but the floods have subsided,” Rafael added, noting an influx of residents visiting memorial parks to pay their respects to departed loved ones.
Rafael emphasized that the OCD continues to monitor water levels in river systems for potential flooding or landslides resulting from the heavy rains brought by Leon and Severe Tropical Storm Kristine, which impacted various regions across the country last week.
“We are closely monitoring our river levels, including the Magat Dam, as we anticipate further rainfall.”
Meanwhile, a total of nearly 8 million people have been affected by the combined effects of Severe Tropical Storm ‘Kristine’ and Super Typhoon ‘Leon’ in the country, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
In its report, the NDRRMC provided figures indicating that approximately 2.028 million families across 17 regions, 81 provinces, 943 cities and municipalities, and 11,414 barangays have been impacted by both weather disturbances.
The NDRRMC also reported that 150 people have died, while 30 are still missing and 122 have sustained injuries. These figures for deaths, injuries, and missing persons are still subject to validation. It also it is compiling data that would show the damage wrought by Leon.
The Bicol Region has been hit the hardest, with 649,122 families affected, totaling about 2.75 million individuals.
Currently, 836 areas across 13 regions remain submerged in deep floods, while 796 roads and 107 bridges are impassable due to severe weather conditions.
Damage to agriculture has risen to 4.4 billion pesos, while infrastructure damage has reached 6.8 billion pesos.
The NDRRMC stated that a total of 220 areas across nine regions have declared a state of calamity, with Calabarzon declaring the highest number of such statuses, followed by Region 5.
Government efforts continue to send aid to victims of the severe weather.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) have standby funds and a prepositioned relief stockpile of food and non-food items worth 2.5 billion pesos.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “OCD Cagayan Valley reports severe damage in Batanes due to ‘Leon’.”
