BATANES, Philippines – After Typhoon Julian wreaked destruction in Batanes, Governor Marilou Cayco estimated it will take 60 days or two months for the province to fully recover.
“Ang lagay ko doon is mga 60 days po,” Cayco told Rappler in an interview on Thursday, October 3.
“Sa ngayon po, wala pa po kaming power. Mayroon pang mga munisipyong wala pang tubig. Ang communication namin ay hindi pa rin maayos lalo na sa Smart dahil down ‘yung kanilang tower.”
(I estimate recovery will take about 60 days. Until now, we don’t have power. There are municipalities without water. Communication lines are broken, especially Smart because their tower is down.)
Since September 29, there has been no electricity in Basco, the provincial capital. Residents, officials in the capitol and municipal halls, and businesses have been relying on generators for power.
Fallen trees were scattered on the sidewalks. More than 2,000 houses were damaged.
Cayco said they are expecting zinc roofing and cladding, lumber, and other construction materials for rebuilding houses to arrive as early as Friday, October 4.
“Ang last na malakas na bagyo is 2022, ‘yung Typhoon Kiko,” Cayco said.
“Pero ito, kakaiba ito dahil kasing lakas ‘yan ng Kiko and Ferdie pero ito is magdamag, maghapon, hanggang gabi ay talagang binayo kami nang husto at hindi nagbabago ‘yung lakas ng bagyo.”
(The last strong storm we had was in 2022, which was Typhoon Kiko. [Julian]….was as strong as Kiko and Ferdie, but this raged overnight, the whole day. We were hammered and the intensity of the storm never wavered.)
Batanes and parts of Babuyan Islands were placed under Signal No. 4 when the typhoon intensified early this week. Julian reached super typhoon status while moving away from extreme Northern Luzon and left the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Tuesday, October 1. It weakened into a typhoon outside PAR.
While Typhoon Julian reentered PAR this morning, there are no more areas in the country that are under Signal No. 1.
First phase of recovery
The first wave of relief items arrived in Batanes after Typhoon Julian brought destruction to the province.
Aboard the C-130 were 3,235 water bottles of varying volumes, ten water filtration kits, one portable generator, two sacks of relief goods, and one Pelican case containing a satellite phone, drone, and wireless access point.
“Inuna natin ‘yung tubig kasi request siya ng governor mismo,” Civil Defense Administrator Ariel Nepomuceno said on Thursday.
“Dahil sa karanasan nila dati, kapag nagkaroon ng kalamidad dito, at nawalan sila ng tubig, nagkakaroon sila ng mga sakit na dulot kung marumi ‘yung tubig.”
(We prioritized water because that’s the request of the governor because of their experience before. When there’s a calamity and they lose water, they get diseases that you get from dirty water.)
According to Nepomuceno, 14,000 food packs are expected to arrive within a week.
The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office estimates total cost of damage to infrastructure and agriculture at over P615 million as of Wednesday, October 2.
Batanes, the northernmost province of the Philippines, is known for scenic views of its hills and mountains, high cliffs, and stone houses. On Thursday, 104 stranded tourists were able to fly out of the airport in Basco. – Rappler.com
