‘Paeng’ damage reaches P139 M

The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) reported yesterday that the initial damage from super typhoon "Paeng" on agricultu-ral crops and infrastructure in Northern Luzon has hit some P139 million.

This developed as the typhoon headed toward eastern Vietnam after leaving at least 15 dead, mostly victims of falling trees, landslides and floods that occurred in several provinces in Northern Luzon, disaster officials reported yesterday.

The NDCC said crops, livestock, and fishery facilities worth P114,390,876 were damaged, while roads and bridges worth P22.8 million were destroyed by landslide and floods. School buildings worth P2 million were also destroyed.

Nueva Vizcaya Gov. Luisa Lloren-Cuaresma said the initial estimate of damage to crops was P76 million. The provincial board of Nueva Vizcaya passed a resolution declaring the province under a state of calamity, authorizing Cuaresma to release P20 million from the province’s calamity fund.

Chief Superintendent Leopoldo Bataoil, Ilocos police director and chairman of the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council, said crops worth more than P1 million were damaged by the storm in La Union.

The typhoon destroyed 450 hectares of palay worth more than P800,000 in Pangasinan.

In Pangasinan, provincial agriculturist Jose Almendras said at least 5,000 fruit-bearing mango trees were damaged by the storm in Urdaneta City, Villasis, Malasiqui, and Sta. Barbara.

The weather bureau said the typhoon weakened after it made landfall in Isabela on Sunday night and cut across Luzon on Monday with winds of 195 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 230 kph.

The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said typhoon Paeng weakened slightly after passing through the Cordillera mountain range and weather forecasters said the storm further weakened as it traveled westward.

The OCD said Army troops, the Coast Guard and Navy were alerted to provide assistance to typhoon victims, most of whom were brought to local state hospitals.

The Philippine National Red Cross said the agency’s branches were assisting storm victims since Monday morning.

Forecasters said the typhoon may intensify over the South China Sea before making second landfall along the eastern coast of Vietnam on Saturday morning.

At least 15 people drowned or were killed by falling trees and another 15 were injured in Northern Luzon, the NDCC reported.

The damage of Paeng is considered minimal compared to typhoon "Milenyo" that slammed into Metro Manila and Southern Luzon last Sept. 28, leaving scores dead or missing.

A senior agriculture official said Monday that there was no significant damage to rice crops, even though the typhoon struck during the harvest season in the country’s major rice producing areas.

The weather forecast also looked good for All Saints’ Day today, when millions flock to cemeteries to remember their dead.

Cagayan Valley police director Chief Supt. Jefferson Soriano reported that six people were killed in Isabela, including the five residents of Dinapigue town who were struck by falling trees.

Isabela Rep. Edwin Uy urged the national government to provide assistance to the residents of Dinapigue, Isabela, which was devastated last Monday by typhoon Paeng where six people were killed and 30 others injured.

"We need choppers to bring food supply to Dinapigue and airlift 30 wounded people to the hospital," Uy said.

Dinapigue Mayor Renato Candido said 90 percent of houses in the coastal town were damaged.

Candido identified three of the fatalities as Jojo Hisita, 45, Roxan Hisita, 12, and Taz Marzan, 3.

Officials said a still unidentified woman and her child were killed in Aurora province after several houses were blown away by strong winds.

In Benguet, two people were killed by landslides, while strong winds damaged more than 300 houses in Baguio City.

Soriano said five others were swept away by swollen river currents in Quezon and Kasibu towns in Nueva Vizcaya.

He said power has been restored in most parts of Isabela and Nueva Vizcaya after the typhoon toppled electric posts, while some barangays remain flooded.

Soriano said floodwater reached several barangays in Northern Isabela and Southern Cagayan, including parts of Tuguegarao City, after authorities released water from the Magat Dam in Isabela when the dam’s water level reached 190.86 meters, near the spillway level of 193 meters.

National Irrigation Administration officials ordered the release of water from the Pantabangan Dam in Nueva Ecija last Monday after the water level reached 218 meters, just three meters below the spillway level of 221 meters.

Antonio Nangel, operations manager of NIA-Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation Systems, said the water released from the dam was allowed to flow to 50,000 hectares of farmland in Nueva Ecija and Pampanga at the rate of 70 cubic meters per second.

Nangel said the release of water is a contingency measure to prevent the reservoir from spilling over, which could cause more flooding in nearby areas. The release of water from Pantabangan was stopped at around noon on Monday.

He said this was the second time that Pantabangan was forced to release water since 1978 when the water level reached 216.43 meters.

NIA also reported that the water level of Angat Dam in Bulacan is now at its critical level of 192.39 meters.

Bataoil said 1,172 families were evacuated from low-lying areas in the towns of Bangar, Aringay, and Caba in La Union.

Most roads leading to Manila were reopened to all types of vehicles, particularly Naguilan Road and Marcos Highway after fallen trees, rocks and other debris were cleared from them. Kennon Road is still closed due to minor road repairs. – With Charlie Lagasca, Delon Porcalla, Eva Visperas, Manny Galvez, Jun Elias, AP, AFP