E. Samar town seeks aid amid flooding
TACLOBAN CITY—The local government of Jipapad in Eastern Samar is appealing for food aid and livelihood assistance for residents and farmers who were severely affected by the massive flooding spawned by nonstop rains that began on Jan. 10.
Victorina Abestros, the town’s disaster risk reduction and management officer, said the floods affected 1,817 families or 9,913 residents in the town.
About 48 hectares of rice fields, she said, were destroyed, resulting in losses amounting to P719,850.
“This (damage) involves newly planted rice crops that were completely wiped out,” she said in an online interview on Tuesday.
Jipapad in Eastern Samar was placed under a state of calamity on Jan. 12 due to the widespread flooding that hit local communities. The declaration allowed the local government to access its calamity fund to procure the needed supplies for affected households.
While no significant properties like government facilities and houses were damaged, Abestros said the local government needed food aid and livelihood assistance, especially for farmers who lost their crops.
She said the local calamity fund of P7.551 million was insufficient to cover the extensive damage.
“We cannot fully use the fund considering that it is just the start of the New Year,” Abestros said.
Despite limited resources, the local government has prepared food packs for affected families.
Their primary concern, however, remains the livelihood of farmers.
Jipapad, a low-lying town situated near major waterways like the Oras and Pambujan rivers, is highly vulnerable to flooding during heavy rains caused by the shear line. In past incidents, floodwaters submerged houses and schools in the town.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Eastern Visayas reported that 32,033 families or 127,973 people from different towns in Eastern Samar and Northern Samar provinces were affected by the floods last weekend.
At least 435 families in Northern Samar remained in evacuation centers while 330 families were staying with relatives or friends in safer areas.
The DSWD had distributed relief goods to over 4,600 families in affected areas across Eastern Samar and Northern Samar.
Class suspension
In Mindanao, several local governments on Wednesday ordered the suspension of classes at all levels because of moderate to heavy rains brought about by the easterlies affecting the Visayas and Mindanao.
Officials in the city of Mati in Davao Oriental province; the cities of Panabo, Samal, and the town of Santo Tomas in Davao del Norte province; General Santos City in South Cotabato province; Jose Abad Santos town in Davao Occidental province; Alabel town in Sarangani province; at least four towns in Davao de Oro province; and 20 barangays in Davao City have ordered class suspensions to ensure the safety of residents amid poor weather conditions since Tuesday afternoon.
The provincial government of Davao Occidental also suspended classes and work in government offices in the province. —WITH A REPORT FROM GERMELINA LACORTE
