TACLOBAN City – Northern Samar Governor Edwin Ongchuan has approved the motion of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council to recommend to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan the declaration of province-wide state of calamity due to the damage caused by typhoon “Ambo” last May 14.
Provincial disaster risk reduction and management officer (PDRRMO) Rei Josiah Echano said some 128,034 families or 521,203 individuals in the province were affected by ‘Ambo’.
As of May 19, the extent of damage to agriculture and infrastructure amounted to more than P132 million and P127.2 million, respectively.
Reports of damages from other municipalities have yet to be received by the PDRRMO.
Governor Ongchuan has also requested for a meeting with the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) and the local chief executives of Catubig and Las Navas to discuss future measures and other long-term actions to protect the community from adverse effects of calamities such as the flooding brought by “Ambo”.
He asked the Provincial Agriculture Office to request aid from the Department of Agriculture to support the livelihood of affected farmers in the province, and in consideration of the “Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-asa Program” of the national government.
Northern Samar has reported zero cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as of May 21, while testing continues for suspected cases. (Marie Tonette Marticio)
