Another strong earthquake jolts Abra
BAGUIO CITY – A powerful 5.1 earthquake shook Northern Luzon at 2:48 a.m. yesterday.
According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), the nature of the earth movement was tectonic. The epicenter was at 17.45 degrees north, 120.66 degrees east- 004 kilometers north, 71 degrees east of Villaviciosa (Abra). It has a depth of 013 km.
Intensity 5 was felt in Dolores, Abra; Vigan City, Sinait, Bantay, Banayoyo, Nagbukel, Gregorio del Pilar, Suyo, Sugpon, San Ildefonso, Santa, Magsingal, San Juan, and Cabugao, Ilocos Sur; Pinili and Badoc in Ilocos Norte; and Besao, and Sagada, Mountain Province.
Intensity 4 was felt in Bangued, Abra; Laoag City, Bacarra and Pasuquin in Ilocos Norte; Sto. Domingo, San Sta. Catalina, Candon City, Santa, Narvacan, San Esteban, Sta. Maria, Caoayan, Sta. Lucia, Sta. Cruz, and Tagudin, all in Ilocos Sur; Sudipen, Luna, Balaoan, Bangar, Bacnotan and City of San Fernando, La Union; Bontoc, and Sadanga, Mountain Province.
The number of families affected by last week’s magnitude 7.0 earthquake that shook Northern Luzon provinces last Wednesday has increased to 100,665.
Latest reports from the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) said the number translates to some 381,614 individuals from 1,030 different barangays.
The number of persons injured also rose from 375 to 394 yesterday, with the number of deaths remained at 10 with no missing persons remaining.
Families still being temporarily sheltered and given necessary assistance in 40 evacuation centers have decreased to 1,070 or 3,781 individuals.
The NDRRMC said the most affected regions include the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Region 1 or the Ilocos Region, and Region 2 or the Cagayan Valley.
Foreign governments led by the United States, China, Japan, and Australia are also sending help in the form of goods and other relief items.
The Department of Education (DepEd) said almost P1.5 billion would be needed to repair affected school buildings.
As of its last tally last Saturday, the DepEd said that they have counted 263 schools that sustained damage out of the total 9,903 affected schools.
Abra is not resuming classes in either private or public schools.
Disaster officials meeting on Sunday said re-opening of faceto-face classes for 2022-23 could be delayed as schools have been damaged.
The partial cost of damage has reached P596.7 million in CAR, region 1 and 2, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) secretary Manuel Bonoan said yesterday.
He said that partial cost of damage to roads, bridges, and flood-control structures has now reached P596.7 million with P474.1 million in CAR, 119.5 million in Region 1 and P3.1 million in Region 2.
Citing a report from the DPWH Bureau of Maintenance, Bonoan said that the inspected structures are composed of 621 national bridges, 23 government hospitals, 275 public school buildings, 417 other public buildings, and 18 other structures.
Of the 1,350 assessed structures, eight have been restricted in CAR while nine were restricted in Region 1. Two structures in CAR and another two in Region 1 are currently restricted.
State-run National Irrigation Administration (NIA), meanwhile, is spending P61.33 million for the immediate restoration of irrigation in quake hit areas.
The 7.0 magnitude earthquake damaged 27 irrigation projects costing P243.44 million and affecting 3,167.5 hectares of agricultural lands, latest NIA data showed.
Most of the damaged irrigation projects are in CAR, totaling 26 projects and affecting 1,167.5 hectares of agricultural lands.
In Abra alone, there are seven operating irrigation systems that were damaged, affecting 557 hectares of agricultural land and around 602 farmers, NIA deputy administrator for engineering and operations C’zar Sulaik said at a briefing yesterday.
At least 6,000 overseas Filipino worker (OFW) families who were affected by the strong quake in Abra are getting financial aid from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).
“At last count, we have at least 6,000 OFW families in Abra,” OWWA chief Hans Cacdac said in Filipino in a television interview yesterday.
Cacdac said the cash assistance to be given to the quakeaffected OFW families ranges from P3,000 to P5,000.