Abra, Apayao most affected in Cordillera by Egay

BAGUIO, Philippines – The eye of Typhoon Egay (Doksuri) did not touch land but it still inflicted punishment to the regions it brushed by.

In the Cordillera, Abra and Apayao were the most affected. Last Friday afternoon, July 28, the provincial board of Abra declared a state of calamity in the province due to Typhoon Egay.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development – Cordillera, in its field report last Friday, said that more than 190,000 Cordillerans were affected by the typhoon.

Of this, more than 180,000 were reported in Abra and 4,400 in Apayao. This constituted 154 barangays in Abra from 19 municipalities.

The next was Benguet with 76 barangays from all 13 municipalities affected, followed by Apayao with 64 barangays from seven towns and Baguio City with 52 barangays affected.

There were 490 families from all over the region brought to evacuation centers. Apayao had the highest number with 334 families evacuated followed by Benguet with 80 and Baguio with 29. Abra had only ten families evacuated.

Damage from agriculture hit Apayao the most.

The Department of Agriculture – Cordillera recorded P48.384 million in damage.

Cornfields were the most devastated with more than P43 million in damage, with Abra absorbing almost all of this loss.

It was fortunate that the planting of rice was scheduled at the end of July.

The rest of the agricultural damage came from the high-yielding crops like upland and lowland vegetables, fruits, and flowers.

Benguet was the most impacted outside of corn, with P5.1 million in damages of which P4.5 million came from upland veggies. The biggest hit among the towns in Benguet was Buguias which recorded more than P1.5 million in losses.

All in all, 2,765 farmers in the region were hit hard by Egay with about 2,000 coming from Apayao and the rest from Benguet.

DA’s records, however, still exclude Abra, which was largely isolated at the moment this report was culled. – Rappler.com