SAN FERNANDO, Philippine – The damage caused by Severe Tropical Storm Florita to agriculture, fisheries, and agricultural infrastructures in the province was estimated at PHP35.5 million as of Aug. 26, according to the La Union Office of Provincial Agriculture (OPAG).
“The majority of the crops affected were palay or rice, while the damage to agri-infrastructure was concentrated on irrigation canals and some farm-to-market roads,” said Pau Navarro, La Union Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office staff, in a phone interview on Friday, citing an OPAG report.
According to Navarro, the initial damage to fisheries was PHP4.7 million.
“These were caused by the typhoon’s heavy rains and flooding in the province,” she added.
The Department of Agriculture Ilocos Regional Office (DA-1) assures that typhoon-affected farmers will receive agricultural interventions as needed.
“At the moment, the office has a buffer stock of 20,000 bags of rice seeds, approximately 2,700 bags of corn seeds, and 520 kilograms of vegetable seeds ready for distribution,” the office said in a statement.
The reported damage is still subject to validation by the DA-1 team in order to generate more accurate data to determine the appropriate needed intervention, according to the statement.
Meanwhile, Navarro stated that the engineering office is still assessing the effects of the weather disturbance on the province’s infrastructure.
“We are still on blue alert, but evacuees have already returned to their homes, and no injuries or casualties have been reported as a result of the typhoon,” she said.
Source: PNA