The Philippines yesterday began tallying the damage bill from Typhoon Nesat, which killed at least 21 people and left behind flooded towns, overflowing dams and damage to rice crops across the northern island of Luzon.
As the typhoon moved over the South China Sea toward northern Vietnam and southern China, Manila said efforts to find dozens of people still missing were being hindered by bad weather.
Financial markets, government offices and some schools reopened after being closed by the typhoon, and train services resumed after power supplies were restored in the capital. However, some flights were again canceled yesterday.
Photo: EPA
The Philippine Department of Agriculture said initial estimates put crop damage, mainly of rice, at about US$16 million, while the disaster agency put infrastructure damage at about US$1.7 million.
Crop damage included 33,890 tonnes of rice from 56,421 hectares affected in five regions, including the key rice growing Cagayan Valley and Central Luzon regions, which were expected to account for just under one-third of national rice output in the fourth quarter.
The National Food Authority said it had sufficient stocks to cover the losses, with 2.5 million tonnes of rice, equal to 75 days of demand, in its warehouses.
The Bangko Sentral said crop damage and supply problems caused by the typhoon could increase prices temporarily.
Major damage to crops could have forced Manila to buy from international markets at a time when rice prices are rising.
“We are still on the right track,” Philippine Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said at a senate hearing when asked about rice output given the typhoon damage.
He said the initial damage was about 0.6 percent of estimated fourth-quarter rice output of 6.5 million tonnes.
Across Luzon, storm surges and strong winds caused great amounts of damage. Some provincial towns were still flooded and without power yesterday.
There were still nearly 48,000 people in evacuation centers yesterday morning, the disaster agency said, adding that authorities were inspecting roads closed by debris and cut by landslides in the northern mountain region.
The sea wall at Manila Bay was badly damaged by storm surges, which swamped Roxas Boulevard and other waterfront areas, keeping the US embassy shut again yesterday.
Metro Manila Development Authority Chairman Francis Tolentino said it would take more than a week to clean up, with the priority on restoring power supply and communication lines.
As Nesat departed, weather officials warned another was developing in the Pacific Ocean that could pick up strength and become a typhoon as it approaches north Luzon.
“Our initial track line shows it may hit northern Luzon, but it may be too early to tell because it might still change course,” Philippine Department of Science and Technology Undersecretary Graciano Yumul said.
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