Agusan del Norte capital in state of calamity
SAN FRANCISCO, AGUSAN DEL SUR—Butuan City, the capital of Agusan del Norte, has been placed under a state of calamity after having been battered by consecutive Typhoons“Tino” (international name: Kalmaegi) and Supertyphoon “Uwan” (international name: Fung-wong), which brought torrential rainfall that caused massive flooding, inundating villages, damaging crops and infrastructure and displacing thousands of families.
According to the report of the Butuan City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC) on Monday, a total of 3,615 families, or 44,317 residents, were forced to leave their homes because of the two typhoons that ravaged at least 33 barangays in the city in a span of weeks.
Tino lashed through the province on Nov. 4., while Uwan dumped heavy rains in the city days before the typhoon made landfall in Aurora province past 9 p.m. of Nov. 9.
Of the total number, 3,496 families or 12,801 persons were still staying in evacuation centers, while 119 families or 508 persons are temporarily staying with relatives.
Losses
Butuan City’s Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) approved the declaration during its second special session last Saturday, following a recommendation by the CDRRMC.
The declaration would allow the local government to fast-track the mobilization of calamity funds, impose price controls on basic goods and deliver immediate assistance to affected households.
According to the CDRRMC, the twin storms also caused extensive destruction to infrastructure, agriculture and livelihoods across 33 barangays in the city.
Initial estimates placed agricultural losses at P4.54 million, while 21 houses were reported either partially damaged or completely destroyed.
The City Social Welfare and Development Department has distributed relief goods to 2,435 families, while rescue and response teams continue to monitor flood-prone and landslide-risk areas.
The city government urged residents to stay alert and to heed official advisories as heavy rains and strong winds were expected to continue while Uwan remained within the Philippine area of responsibility.
“We are intensifying our disaster-response operations to ensure timely assistance to all affected barangays,” the city government said in a statement released by its city information office.
Even as some evacuees have begun returning home, officials warned that saturated soil and swollen rivers could still trigger flash floods and rain-induced landslides in the coming days.
