CAGAYAN in northern Philippines has been placed under a state of calamity following damage from four typhoons since August, the provincial government announced on Tuesday.
The provincial council unanimously approved on Oct. 24 the state of calamity declaration, which paves the way for the release of local disaster response funds to assist affected residents.
The provincial disaster management office recommended the declaration, citing the impact of severe tropical storm Florita (international name: Florita) in August; and typhoons Mamay, Neneng (international name: Nesat), and Obet in October.
Persistent rains brought by the shear line, or the meeting of cold and hot air, has also aggravated flooding and landslides, the disaster management office said.
Overall damage to crops, mainly rice, was estimated at over P565.8 million and another P4 million in livestock.
Infrastructure damage reached 78.4 million.
Around 66,510 families or 232,982 individuals have been affected.
Cagayan, composed of 28 towns and the capital city of Tuguegarao, has a population of 1,268,603 based on the 2020 census. — MSJ