MANILA, Philippines – The Climate Change Commission (CCC) has commended the provincial government of Batanes for attaining zero casualty during Typhoon Ferdie.
“The fact that there were no casualties means the provincial government did a commendable job in preparing for the super typhoon,” said CCC Secretary Emmanuel de Guzman.
Signal No. 4 was raised over Batanes when Ferdie made landfall last week. Latest reports showed damage to agriculture and infrastructure reached over P700 million.
“As an island province… Batanes is exemplary for its preparedness and resilience to strong typhoons. The rest of the country should learn from the practices of its communities on climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction,” De Guzman said.
Ferdie (international name Meranti) was reportedly the strongest storm to hit the Western Pacific since Super Typhoon Yolanda in 2013, which left over 6,000 dead.
Meanwhile, the National Food Authority said it released 419 bags of rice for distribution to typhoon victims in Batanes.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development said another 100 bags are on standby at the agency’s warehouse.
”We have enough rice for the whole province. Water is the utmost concern since water systems were damaged by the typhoon,” said Phillip Rumbaoa, NFA-Batanes officer-in-charge. – Janvic Mateo, Louise Maureen Simeon, Jack Castaño