MALASIQUI: Severe Tropical Storm Kristine has left an initial PHP622 million worth of damage to infrastructure and over PHP241 million worth of damage to agriculture in Pangasinan. Pangasinan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) data show that most of the reported damage to infrastructure includes dilapidated asphalt overlay on provincial roads, damaged bridges and provincial buildings, food stalls at the beachfront in Lingayen town, and the baywalk in Bonuan Binloc in Dagupan City.
According to Philippines News Agency, for agriculture, the bulk of the damage is on rice at PHP123.55 million, followed by fruits, PHP44.6 million; corn, PHP5.21 million; and vegetables, PHP1.98 million. Damage to fisheries amounted to PHP64.87 million, while it is about PHP1.05 million for livestock. Department of Agriculture Ilocos Region information officer Vida Cacal, in a phone interview on Tuesday, said the agency has prepared interventions for the affected farmers and fisherfolk once the valida
tion is completed.
The weather disturbance also damaged 134 houses, 22 of which were totally destroyed and 112 partially damaged in the towns of Burgos, Mapandan, San Fabian, Calasiao, Aguilar, Bani, Lingayen, Basista, and Bolinao. PDRRMO told the Philippine News Agency on Tuesday that the alert status has been downgraded from red to blue. The provincial government has provided some PHP1.2 million worth of assistance, specifically 3,020 family food packs and 830 hygiene kits, to the 61,671 affected families.
Dagupan City and Bani town have declared a state of calamity due to Kristine’s impact. The Department of Social Welfare and Development also augmented the province’s family food packs and other relief goods.