Typhoon Cosme’s wrath cost Pangasinan P4.3 B
Typhoon ‘Cosme’ struck with a loud bang, created havoc for two hours and left Pangasinan in complete disarray.
At presstime, estimated damage to agriculture and infrastructure has ballooned to P4.3 billion and still rising.
And from an initial report of 6 deaths immediately after Cosme exited, the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council already confirmed 38 deaths.
PDCC executive director Paterno Orduna said the field reports so far indicated that value of palay and corn destroyed were placed at P205 million, fruit trees,P1.9 billion; assorted vegetables, P247.9 million; fisheries, P1.08 million; and livestock and poultry, P97.4 million for an aggregate total of P3.5 billion.
The estimated value of damages are hospitals, P11.02 million; provincial government buildings and facilities, P15.2 million; municipal government buildings and other facilities, P42.6 million; roads, P43.09 million; bridges, P15.7 million; flood control/ sea wall, P76 million; mini-irrigation dams, P3.5 million and school buildings, P548,7 million.
The PDCC also estimated that P1 billion may be needed to repair and rehabilitate some 85,000 houses across the province.
In schools division of Pangasinan 1 alone, more than half of the 534 public elementary schools and 110 high schools were heavily damaged. Other schools division have not sent their damage reports.
But notwithstanding the damage to the buildings, Dr. Alma Ruby Torio, schools division superintendent of Pangasinan 1, expressed hope that repairs would be completed early enough to allow the schools to open on June 10, the scheduled opening of public schools nationwide.
Earlier, Gov. Amado Espino Jr. said he might ask for the postponement of the opening of the schools as he was pessimistic about the readiness of the damaged school facilities before June 10.
Torio said her division will prepare contingency plans including setting up of tents to enable the students to return to their classrooms as scheduled. #
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