AFTERMATH. Photo by Aeron Mayor

CAGAYAN, Philippines – Batanes province has been placed under a state of calamity due to the onslaught of Typhoon Ferdie (Meranti).

Norma Talosig, chief of the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) in Cagayan Valley region, confirmed to Rappler on Friday, September 16, that the provincial board declared the province under a state of calamity on Thursday, September 15.

The declaration follows the recommendation of the provincial disaster management agency, according to Talosig.

Governor Marilou Cayco said on Friday that the declaration will allow the provincial government to "immediately respond to the restoration needs of some facilities which were greatly affected by strong the typhoon and to enable quick response and service delivery to the affected families."

Cayco said the provincial government will prioritize families whose houses were totally damaged by strong winds.

On Thursday, Batanes Representative Henedina Abad said the province was "heavily" damaged by Ferdie.

Abad said the province still had no power supply, and the communication lines in the towns of Basco, Itbayat, and Mahatao had been cut.

“Our communities at the moment do not have access to water or electricity, and communication across the province is difficult to establish,” Abad said, adding that there was also great damage in agriculture and infrastructure.

She said she's "thankful" that there were no casualties reported.

Talosig, meanwhile, reported 50 houses were totally damaged while 100 were partially damaged.

The buildings of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and the Technical Education Development Authority (TESDA), Basco Central School, Batanes National High School, Provincial Capitol building and Sto Domingo Church also suffered damages.

'No help yet'

In a Facebook post, Rachel Ponce, Abad's aide who is a resident of Itbayat, pleaded for help as they have yet to contact some towns.

Ponce lamented the lack of media coverage on the aftermath of Ferdie in Batanes, saying the damage had left some town islands isolated.

"Nakakalungkot na [sobra ang] media coverage [sa] Senate samantalang ang mga kahilyan (kababayan) sa Itbayat eh nagiiyak na sa pag aalala sa Itbayat Island," Ponce said.

(It is saddening that the Senate is receiving a huge media coverage while our countrymen in Itbayat are crying and worried of what had happened to our families in Itbayat Island.)

"Ilang araw na kaming walang naririnig na communication sa kanila. We are so worried. We just want to know if there are casualties, kung buhay pa ba sila? Sa Itbayat kasi ang eye ng typhoon. The last text we received eh nilipad na yung mga bubong, nag evacuate na sa mga may concrete houses ang mga iba. Binaha na daw po sa plaza. First time po na nangyari yun," Ponce added.

(We have not received any communication from them for days. We are so worried. We just want to know if there are casualties, or if they are still alive. The eye of the typhoon passed through Itbayat. The last text we received is that their roofs were blown away and that they are already evacuating to those with concrete houses. Our plaza was flooded and that never happened before.)

Ponce said they "badly" need attention because Batanes had never experienced a typhoon of such strength until then.

She said that since the C130 could not land in Itbayat, they are requesting a helicopter for the town.

"We do not have a voice. Kahit aerial view lang po, kahit ibagsak niyo na lang po yung satellite phone and relief goods (Reach Itbayat even if it's only an aerial view, or even if you just drop a satellite phone and relief goods,) she said.

The regional disaster management agency said it is set to fly to Basco on Saturday via a C-130 plane. The agency will assess the damage of the typhoon and to deliver relief goods.

The team supposedly fled to Batanes on Thursday but they were not given clearance due to the bad weather. – Rappler.com</s>The provincial government of Batanes has declared a state of calamity after Typhoon Ferdie (international codename: Meranti) affected more than 10,000 people and damaged P55.5 million worth of crops and infrastructure.

Gov. Marilou Cayco also appealed for potable water, food items, generator sets for water pumps, transformers, galvanized iron, construction materials and ropes.

“With the calamity funds, we will be able to restore heavily damaged facilities by the strong typhoon as well as facilitate the delivery of services to affected families and individuals,” Cayco said.

She said families whose houses were totally damaged by strong winds will be given priority.

The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Region 2 estimated P37 million worth of vegetables, root crops and corn crops were damaged by the typhoon. Meanwhile, 28 school buildings were also destroyed by the typhoon.

Norma Talosig, OCD-Region 2 director, said at least 10,214 people were affected.

She added that 292 houses were totally damaged and 932 partially damaged in the towns of Basco, Ivana and Uyugan.

In Basco town, the buildings of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Provincial Capitol and the Santo Domingo Church were destroyed.

The province had no power since Tuesday because electric posts were toppled. Officials said electricity may be restored after a week.

Telecommunication lines in the towns of Basco, Mahatao and Itbayat were also down since Wednesday except in Uyugan town.

However, communication lines were established on Thursday through SSB Radio of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) and through VSAT of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) connecting Tuguegarao City in Cagayan and Basco town in Batanes.

Meanwhile, another typhoon, locally named Gener, was forecast to leave the country today, Sunday.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), however, said that some parts of Luzon will still experience rains because of the southwest monsoon.

Cloudy skies with light to moderate rains accompanied by thunderstorms are expected over the provinces of Ilocos, Batanes, Apayao, Zambales, Bataan, Palawan, and Babuyan Group of Islands.

Partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers will be experienced in Metro Manila and certain parts of the country.

Moderate to strong winds will blow in Luzon and Visayas, while the coastal waters will be moderate to rough.
The storm cuts power and communications in the Philippine province of Batanes as it undergoes a "state of calamity."