THE entire province of Samar has been placed under a state of calamity on Monday, December 30, following the devastation brought by Typhoon Ursula (international name Phanfone).
In a special session, the Provincial Board adopted a resolution to declare a state of calamity after the storm affected 43,173 families and 134,283 individuals, or an equivalent to 17.20 percent of the province’s total population.
A report from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC) said 2,841 houses were destroyed while 28,720 were damaged.
The total cost of damage to houses is pegged at P344,980,000.
According to provincial officials, 165,823 hectares of agricultural land area was affected and P1,096,874,500 in infrastructure was also damaged.
Samar was the fourth province in Eastern Visayas to declare a state of calamity after Leyte, Eastern Samar, and Biliran.
Meanwhile, authorities continue to retrieve bodies of missing persons during the storm.
The remains of Feil Tabiliran and Artemio Ibanez were recovered on December 27 and 28, respectively, in Borongan City, Eastern Samar.
On December 27, the body of Placido Miane, 56, was also found in Tacloban City.
At least 13 people were killed while two are still missing in Eastern Visayas, according to the Office of Civil Defense.
Officials said Ursula was the strongest typhoon to hit the region in 2019. (SunStar Philippines)