Northern Samar to declare province-wide state of calamity due to damage caused by ‘Ambo’

TACLOBAN CITY - Northern Samar Governor Edwin Ongchuan has approved the motion of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) Meeting to recommend to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan the declaration of a province-wide state of calamity due to the damage caused by typhoon “Ambo” last May 14.

Provincial disaster risk reduction and management officer (PDRRMO) Rei Josiah Echano said some 128,034 families in the province were affected by typhoon “Ambo” or a total of 521,203 individuals in his partial Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis report.

As of May 19, the extent of damage to agriculture amounted to more than 1132 million, and 1127.2 million for infrastructure. Report of damage from other municipalities have yet to be received by the PDRRMO.

Ongchuan will also meet with the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) and the local chief executives of Catubig and Las Navas to discuss future measures and other long-term actions to protect the community from the adverse effects of calamities such as the flooding brought about by “Ambo.”

He asked the Provincial Agriculture Office to request aid from the Department of Agriculture to support the livelihood of affected farmers in the province, and in consideration of the “Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-asa Program” of the national government.

Northern Samar has reported zero confirmed case of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as of Thursday, May 21. Testing is being done on suspected cases. The municipalities in the province are capacitated to conduct swabbing for immediate testing. So far, 12 local government units have undergone training for swab-testing.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government provincial office reminded the LGUs about accepting returning residents as long as they are compliant with government-prescribed health and safety protocols.

The Northern Samar Police Provincial Office clarified the amended guidelines for the issuance of travel order or clearance to individuals desiring to travel from one place to another. The Philippine National Police has been authorized to issue travel clearances during the pandemic.