Seniang's damage in Aklan continue to rise
Kalibo, Aklan --As more Aklan towns submitted reports, damage wrought by "Senyang" to properties and lives here continue to rise.
Updates released by the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council revealed that as of Dec. 13, partial damage in the province have reached P275,568.910, brought about by destroyed roads, bridges, telephone and electrical lines, government structures, agriculture crops, fisheries and livestock.
Of Aklan's 17 towns, Nabas appears to be devastated the most, with 469 houses totally destroyed; P19,000,000 damaged lifelines, P22,502,500.00 damaged structures and millions lost in agriculture, fisheries and livestock. Landslides in two barangays also occurred.
The seawall in New Washington, on the other hand, was destroyed, with 20,221,000 total losses in damaged lifelines, structures, agriculture crops, fisheries and poultry.
In Malay where Boracay Island is located, two persons were reported dead with 15 persons missing and P12,290,000.00 reported damage.
The town of Buruanga, the farthest Aklan municipality from Kalibo has 2 reported dead; and Ibajay, 2.
In the latest update, 31,978 families were affected with 149,833 persons; 1,313 houses were totally destroyed and 2,686 were rendered homeless.
Ret. Police Maj. Paquito S. Saratiosa, Provincial Civil Defense Executive Officer reminded all other towns which have not submitted reports on damages yet to send in the needed data because the National Disaster Coordinating Council is awaiting Aklan's report.
"All the other provinces in Western Visayas have submitted their reports, so government aid might soon be availed by these provinces. If we are much delayed in submitting our reports, all that we might avail are only morsels," Saratiosa said.
Saratiosa also urged the municipalities to submit names of affected persons and families, "so that when the government and non-government organizations start to give out assistance, the true typhoon victims will get the aid.
Just this week, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said that the government will allocate P10 billion for the relief and rehabilitation of calamity-stricken areas, particularly the provinces hard-hit by the four strong typhoons that battered the country recently.
She said the special fund will be taken from the allocation for non-priority government projects under the proposed 2007 national budget.
(PIA)