MANILA, Philippine – Typhoon Nina (Nock-ten) destroyed at least P25.14 million* ($505,241) worth of crops across 3 regions, according to an initial report released by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) on Wednesday, December 28.
The south-eastern provinces of Luzon facing the Pacific Ocean – Calabarzon (Region IV-A), Mimaropa (Region IV-B), and Bicol (Region V) – bore the brunt of the typhoon, the report said.
Nina affected at least 3,818 farmers and 3,540 hectares of land in these regions "severely affected" by the typhoon.
"As these amounts are just partial assessment damages, we expect them to increase as we continue to receive reports from our field offices," NIA Administrator Peter Tiu Laviña said.
Non-governmental organization Oxfam has reported at least P5.3 billion ($106.5 million) in damage to agriculture.
Laviña requested help from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) to fund the immediate repair of damaged irrigation facilities.
Nina exited the Philippine Area of Responsibility Tuesday night, December 27, after leaving at least 6 people dead and 19 others missing.
NIA also reported at least P49 million ($984,754) worth of infrastructure damage.
It is lower than the estimates of NDRRMC, which reported at least P83.46 million ($1.68 million) worth of damage to infrastructure in the provinces of Marinduque and Oriental Mindoro alone. – Paterno Esmaquel II/Rappler.com
*$1 = P49.76