SUPER typhoon “Julian” (international name: Krathon) dissolved into a low-pressure system when it exited the country on Friday, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
But not before the strong but irregular storm killed at least five people and inflicted up to P481.27 million in damage to the agriculture sector, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) stated.
PAGASA stated that Julian left the Philippine Area of Responsibility around 8 a.m. on Friday and was last located 480 kilometers north of Itbayat, Batanes.
According to the NDRRMC, at least one person is still missing, and eight people have been injured, affecting 242,973 people or 69,290 families, the majority of whom live in Northern Luzon.
STATES OF CATASTROPHE
The provinces of Ilocos Norte and Batanes have already proclaimed states of calamity, while the NDRRMC continues to collect damage reports.
The NDRRMC projected infrastructure damage at P738.15 million and agriculture damage at P309.16 million, but the Department of Agriculture (DA) reported on Friday that it had risen to P481.27 million.
President Marcos flew to Ilocos Norte and Batanes to assess the damage and expressed concern about looming issues in the agricultural sector.
According to the latest dispatch from the DA’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Operations Center, about 20,134 farmers in Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, and Central Luzon have been affected.
The weather disturbance destroyed 19,151 metric tons (MT) of product, mostly rice and corn, across 13,488 hectares of land.
“As field assessments and validations continue, further damage and losses are expected in the affected regions, particularly on palay in Cagayan Valley,” the Department of Agriculture noted.
RICE CROPS WERE LOST
Rice was damaged the most by Julian, with losses totaling P348.42 million, or 72.39 percent of the total damage. The largest portion of the rice yield (17,585 MT) was in the reproductive and maturity stages.
Corn contributed worth P35.75 million, or 7.43 percent of the total. The natural disaster ruined 1,514 MT of corn produce, most of which was in the vegetative and maturity stages.
Other commodities and facilities experienced losses as well, including irrigation facilities (P92.68 million), high-value crops (P3.96 million), and cattle and poultry (P472,550).
Recent typhoons and El Niño have devastated 502,680 MT of rice.
The El Niño-induced dry spell that concluded in June resulted in the damage of 330,717 metric tons of rice, as reported in the DA’s final bulletin published in August.
The DA projected that typhoons along with other natural disasters cost the country between 500,000 and 600,000 MT of palay production each year.