Two provinces and a city in Bicol Region were placed under state of calamity on Wednesday after suffering the brunt of Typhoon Tisoy.
The storm made landfall in Gubat, Sorsogon on Monday night, causing widespread devastation not only in Bicol, but also in nearby Quezon province.
In an interview, Claudio Yucot, regional director of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD)-Bicol, said the provinces of Albay and Sorsogon as well as Naga City are now under a state of calamity.
“Typhoon Tisoy has ravaged the entire region on December 2 and 3, causing damages to infrastructure, agriculture, and vital livelihood,” he said.
Yucot said based on the initial report from Sorsogon province, damages in agriculture, livestock and fisheries have initially reached a total amount of PHP667 million.
“We are expecting that the damages will increase since the reported amount is only for Sorsogon. We are still waiting for the report from other provinces,” he said.
Based on a report, as of Dec. 4, there were 1,422 barangays, 125,857 families or 506,130 individuals affected by Typhoon Tisoy in various parts of Bicol.
The OCD said electric power in the provinces of Catanduanes, Albay, Camarines Sur (26 municipalities), Camarines Norte, Sorsogon, and Masbate including Ticao and Burias Islands has yet to be restored while telecommunication signal interruptions in Catanduanes, Camarines Norte were also reported. (PNA)