MANILA, Philippines — Relief goods have reached Catanduanes, the island province badly hit during the onslaught of Super Typhoon Rolly, Malacañang reported Thursday.
In a meeting aired late Thursday, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque reported that at least 35,000 families in Catanduanes have been affected by the typhoon. Of the figure, over 7,000 people are in evacuation centers, while 45,886 are seeking temporary refuge in others' homes.
“[Social Welfare] Secretary Rolando Bautista is there. We already have 10,000 food packs there,” Roque said.
Bautista flew to Catanduanes Tuesday to extend assistance and oversee the relief operations for families affected by Rolly.
DSWD said it has P865.5 million in stockpiles and standby funds for its disaster response.
Philippine Air Force C-130 airplanes have also transported food pack and water bottles.
“Our C-130 aircrafts have begun transporting food stuff and other supplies. We will continue it until needed. We have two more C-130s on standby and four C-295s if there is need to bring more supplies,” Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said.
Roque also said the delivery of relief goods can now reach the province by sea after the operations of roll-on/roll-off (RORO) vessels have resumed.
Severe damage
Rolly (international name: Goni)—the world’s strongest storm this year and a super typhoon at its height—made its first landfall over Bato town in Catanduanes early Sunday. Its destructive winds and intense rains knocked down cell towers and power lines, destroyed buildings and triggered flash floods and mudslides.
Roque said the storm left some 10,000 houses in the province totally damaged and 19,000 other severely damaged.
"With the severity of the damage, it might need a Yolanda-like rehabilitation becase 19,000 homes have been damaged. You can see from the air, those that survived were only commercial building but all buildings in downtown sustained damaged," Roque also said.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council reported that damage to infrastructure across nine regions in the Philippines stood at P8.4 billion, while agriculture at P2.9 billion as of Thursday.
The Bicol region, which bore the brunt of Rolly, sustained the highest extent of damage as it accounted for P7.2 billion in damage to infrastructure, while 2.3 billion to crops and livestock.
At least 20 people died and 165 were injured during the onslaught of Rolly. — Gaea Katreena Cabico