The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) is set to deliver initial relief today for residents affected by Typhoon Julian in Batanes.
According to Mia Edsel Carbonel, OCD-Region 2 spokesperson, the relief items—comprising food and non-food supplies—will be transported via a Philippine Air Force C130 plane.
A disaster assessment team from OCD has already arrived in Batanes for a three-day damage assessment. Based on initial OCD data, the storm damaged 167 houses, with 32 reported as totally destroyed and 135 partially damaged.
A total of 8,616 families, or 26,324 individuals, have been affected across Region 2, with Batanes bearing the brunt of the storm’s impact.
The Batanes Provincial Board approved the recommendation to place the province under a state of calamity yesterday.
Efforts are ongoing to restore power and communication lines across the island.
Typhoon Julian, which had intensified to a super typhoon, prompted the weather bureau to raise Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 4 over Batanes.
Batanes Bishop Danilo Ulep has appealed for immediate aid, particularly food, water, and construction materials, to assist residents who lost their homes.
Some churches in Basco and nearby towns were also damaged by the typhoon.
Despite the devastation, Bishop Ulep expressed optimism that the resilient people of Batanes will recover.