Typhoon ‘Bebeng’ killed 33, left P1.3B damage

By Dona Pazzibugan
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 04:28:00 05/16/2011

MANILA, Philippines--Tropical Storm “Bebeng” (international name Aere) left 33 people dead and two others missing from flash floods and landslides and P1.37 billion in damage to agriculture and infrastructure, mostly in the Bicol region.

In its latest report, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said damage to agriculture was placed at nearly P238 million.

Bicol sustained the bulk of the infrastructure damage worth P1.13 billion. These include national roads and flood control assets in Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Masbate and Sorsogon.

Farmers and livestock owners in Bicol (Region V) and Central Luzon (Region III) sustained losses of P225.3 million and P12.5 million, respectively.

Agriculture officials said Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur and Masbate in Region V lost 19,250 metric tons of palay representing 3.48 percent of the region’s target production for the first half of the year or 25 percent of the national target for the period.

The national disaster agency said other regions in Luzon that were hit by Bebeng were spared from much agricultural damage since farmers had harvested their crops before the storm hit.

“There has been no report of damage to agriculture in Regions I (Ilocos), II (Cagayan Valley), IV-A (Calabarzon), IV-B (Mimaropa), VIII (Eastern Visayas) and CAR (Cordillera Autonomous Region) because most of the rice production was harvested before the onset of Tropical Storm Bebeng,” the NDRRMC said.

Bebeng intensified into a tropical storm on May 7. It made landfall over northern Catanduanes on May 8 and made a second landfall over northern Casiguran in Aurora before exiting the Philippine area of responsibility on May 11.

The storm unleashed heavy rains that caused flash floods, landslides and power outages, while a tornado hit Calumpit, Bulacan.

Most of the 33 fatalities, who either drowned or were buried in landslides, were from Bicol. Two persons from Albay remain missing while nine, mostly in Bicol, were injured.