Ruby destroys crops, affects fisherfolk most

Typhoon Ruby inflicted most of its damage on crops and fishing as it caused rains and strong winds in 12 northern Cebu towns for nearly four days, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management chief Baltazar Tribunalo said yesterday.

Tribunalo said initial reports from teams sent to assess the damage in the towns showed that while Ruby caused minimal damage to houses and public structures, it ravaged cornfields and small banana plantations.

Strong winds prevented fisherfolk from going out to sea and confining them to evacuation centers where they had to depend on food assistance from their local governments.

“It had a big impact on the livelihood of residents, it rained for how many days. That’s why the Provincial Board still declared a state of calamity to be able to support agriculture and the needs of our fisherfolks and farmers,” he said.

Massive damage

The Provincial Emergency and Rapid Assessment Team (Perat) presented their initial findings three days after the storm during a meeting at the Capitol.

However, the province still cannot give an estimate on the total damage wrought by the typhoon since some teams are still on the field conducting assessment.

Some local government units (LGUs) such as those in Bantayan and Camotes Island asked for an extension because they cannot submit their damage assessment reports yesterday.

Tribunalo said.it won’t take much time for the provincial government to extend assistance to the affected families unlike last year when “Yolanda” inflicted massive damage.

Response

Tribunalo said the province can still tap into its P77-million calamity fund while the private sector already offered help in rehabilitation efforts.

Tribunalo said the preparation and response of the whole province during the typhoon is proof that different sectors can unite for a cause.

In Cebu City, the City Agriculture Department (CAD) set aside P5 million as loan assistance to farmers affected by typhoon Ruby.

City Agriculturist Joey Baclayon said another P5 million is allocated for Cebu City’s preparations for the El Niño phenomenon.

“These funds are ready. But considering the extent of the damage caused by the typhoon, this is not enough. We will be prioritizing areas that suffered bigger damage,” he said.

In a special session last Tuesday, the Cebu City Council declared the city under a state of calamity after it lost P36 million worth of crops and livestock in 21 barangays, mostly upland, due to typhoon Ruby.

The declaration allows the city government to make use of its remaining P30 million calamity fund this year. “It will take a month for the farmers to recover from the typhoon,” Baclayon said.