Three towns in the province of Iloilo declared a state of calamity following the onslaught of Typhoon Ursula (international name: Phanfone).
The declaration was made by Carles on Wednesday, Dec. 25, and by Batad and Balasan on Thursday, Dec. 26, through resolutions.
The three were among the hardest-hit towns in the northern part of the province.
The declaration would allow the local governments to utilize five percent of their disaster funds and impose a price freeze on basic and prime commodities.
Ursula, which made its fourth landfall in Gigantes Islands in Carles early Wednesday morning, devastated northern Iloilo.
The cost of damages in Balasan, Batad, Carles and other towns has yet to be determined.
Based on data from the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC-6), 476 families or 1,968 individuals were affected by the typhoon in Balasan, and 2,787 families or 11, 148 inviduals in Batad.
Carles has yet to submit its assessment report on the effects of Ursula, one of the strongest typhoons to hit the country this year.
In a report by state-run Radyo Pilipinas, Carles Mayor Siegfredo Betita said all the town’s 33 barangays were affected by the typhoon.
Nine were reportedly killed and three were missing. Most of the fatalities were from Batad with five, followed by Balasan, 3; and Carles, 1
Three went missing in Batad, two in Estancia, and six in Carles.
The towns in northern Iloilo are currently without electricity due to damaged power lines.
Ursula also disrupted mobile and internet services in the towns.IMT
Photo by Venturer Rover 2019
