CITY OF SAN FERNANDO Typhoon Karding has caused damage and losses amounting to more than P213-million to the Pampanga’s agricultural sector.

As of Tuesday noon, the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) reported that a total of 4,168.9 hectares of farmland in Pampanga were affected by the onslaught of the typhoon.

The super typhoon destroyed P212,297,829.45 worth of rice crops and P1,446,000 worth of various vegetables.

The government is yet to announce the assistance to be given to affected farmers to offset their losses.

The OPA said a total of 2,889 farmers from the 136 barangays of Pampanga were affected by the agricultural damage due to the typhoon.

Typhoon Karding (Noru) left the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) at 8 pm on Monday, September 26, after triggering massive floods and leaving a trail of destruction in Central Luzon.

By late Monday evening, Karding was already 585 kilometers west of Dagupan City, Pangasinan, said the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) in its final bulletin issued at 11 pm.

The typhoon slowed down, moving west toward Vietnam at 20 kilometers per hour from the previous 30 km/h.

It maintained its strength as it left PAR, with maximum sustained winds of 140 km/h and gustiness of up to 170 km/h.

At its peak, Karding was a super typhoon with maximum sustained winds of 195 km/h. It underwent a period of “explosive intensification” before making landfall, as its maximum sustained winds increased by 90 km/h in 24 hours.