Nelida Pereira, Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office chief, said Wednesday their latest monitoring showed that at least nine villages in the municipalities of Banga, Tupi, and Surallah were already affected by the calamities, which were spawned by the continuing torrential rains.
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She said most of the damage was reported in Banga town, where at least four communities in Barangay Kusan were earlier swept by flashfloods.
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Citing a report from the Banga Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office, Pereira said officials placed the damage brought by the floods on farmlands and properties at Purok Malipayon, Maswerte, Libertad, and Mainuswagon in Barangay Kusan at around P7.5 million.
In Tupi, she said the municipal government initially estimated the damage caused by the floods and mild twister that hit at least four villages in the area at P3 million.
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Pereira said the tornado reportedly destroyed various high-value commercial crops, papaya, and banana plantations and three poultry structures in the villages Polonoling, Kalkam, Palian, and Crossing Rubber in Tupi.
Landslides were also reported earlier in the villages of Colungulo, Upper Sepaka, Upper Talahik, and Lamsugod in Surallah and at Sitio Datal Ngisi in Barangay Kablon in Tupi, where a 33-year-old mother was reported killed while three of her children were injured.
"Right now, our field personnel are still conducting additional assessments in the affected areas to properly determine the actual situation and the immediate needs of the affected residents," said Pereira, who is also the action officer of the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council.
She said they have also mobilized a team of social workers to coordinate with the Municipal Disaster Coordinating Councils (MDCCs) of the affected areas for the provision of emergency relief assistance for the local residents.
"We initially dispatched some food packs to augment the relief operations of the MDCCs and we've been also beefing up our relief stocks so we can immediately respond to possible emergency calls," Pereira said.
In a related development, at least three villages in Tupi town have sought the declaration of state of calamity in their areas due to the impact of the recent floods, landslide, and the mild tornado.
Annie Hatulan, Municipal Welfare and Development Office chief, said officials of the villages of Kalkam, Crossing Rubber, and Palian submitted a request to the municipal government for the placement of their areas under the state of calamity to allow the local government to properly respond to their needs.
