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SUBMERGED TANDAG This photo provided by the Surigao del Sur provincial government shows the extent of flooding in parts of the city of Tandag during the onslaught of Tropical Storm “Auring” last week.
MANILA, Philippines – Damage caused by tropical storm “Auring” (international name: Dujuan) in the country’s agricultural sector has reached 21.56 million pesos, according to records from the Department of Agriculture (DA).
Auring, the first tropical cyclone to hit the country this year, struck parts of Mindanao’s Caraga region, destroying 1,756 hectares of rice, corn and high-value crops, as well as livestock and fish.
The DA said it was able to issue warnings to farmers before Auring made landfall, resulting in the anticipated harvest of 12,538 ha of rice worth P1.31 billion. Regarding corn, a total of 6,296 metric tons were saved, valued at P94.42 million.
DA has prepared 75,256 bags of rice seed, 1,735 bags of corn seed and 17,381 kilograms of vegetable seed for distribution to farmers affected by the storm.
It has also prepared loan programs for farmers and fishermen displaced by natural disasters, adding that Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. had sufficient funds to compensate affected farmers.
Road repairs
In Surigao del Sur, Governor Alexander Pimentel has sought the help of President Duterte to repair the roads that connect remote rural villages to urban centers in the province. Roads in about 200 villages were damaged, he said.
Auring also affected 34,770 families in 18 of the 19 towns in the province. About 10,000 families fled their homes seeking safety from the floods.
A report from the National Council for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management on February 24 showed that the inner city of San Miguel had the highest number of evacuees with 6,277 families (20,872 people), or about half of the local population.
According to Pimentel, most of the rural roads damaged by Auring’s fury were also affected by the heavy rains that accompanied the tropical depression “Vicky” (international name Krovanh) in December last year and were undergoing rehabilitation.
He said more equipment was needed from the Department of Public Works and Highways to speed up road repair.
Environmental abuse
Bishop Raul Dael of the Diocese of Tandag blamed environmental abuse for the widespread flooding.
“This is the first time this has happened to the city of Tandag and simultaneously to other parts of Surigao del Sur. I would like to make this clear, especially this time that we have all experienced these types of floods, to remind people that they must protect the environment because the environment is a gift from God, ”said Dael.
“We must not commit intergenerational injustices by abusing nature to the point that there is nothing left for the next generation because we have already destroyed it,” he added. —REPORTS FROM KARL R. OCAMPO, ERWIN MASCARIÑAS, AND RYAN ROSAURO
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