Batanes still assessing Goring damage even as it already feels Hanna's effects

The province of Batanes has yet to fully assess the damage caused by Typhoon Goring but it is already feeling the effects of Typhoon Hanna (international name: Haikui) on Saturday.

"Kadadaan lang po ni Typhoon Goring. Kami ay kasalukuyang nasa pag-a-assess ng damage ng Typhoon Goring at ngayon ay inaantay namin ang ibang mga report. Pero eto na naman po si Typhoon Hanna na bagamat ang kalagayan ng panahon dito ay medyo maulap pero may araw naman ng kaunti," Batanes Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office head Roldan Esdicul said in an interview on Dobol B TV.

(Typhoon Goring just left recently. We are currently assessing the damage caused by Typhoon Goring and awaiting reports. However, Typhoon Hanna is already here even if the weather condition now is just a bit cloudy but with a little sunshine.)

"Medyo malakas ang naramdaman namin kay Typhoon Goring dahil halos malapit lang sa amin kaya ramdam na ramdam namin ng madaling araw. Eto namang Typhoon Hanna, halos sa dagat namin nararamdaman kasi medyo maalon na po," he added.

(We felt the impact of Typhoon Goring because it was close to us so we felt its effects even in the wee hours of the morning. Now here is Typhoon Hana but mostly its effect is on the waters; there are strong waves.)

Esdicul said the power service in the municipality of Itbayat has been affected since fuel could not be delivered to the island due to strong waves caused by Hanna.

"Ang naapektuhan ho ng service sa kuryente natin ay ang munisipyo ng Itbayat, 'yung isla ng Itbayat. Kasi medyo kulang na po ang naitawid na fuel kaya nabawasan na ang power service nila, kaya 16 hours na lang sa ngayon [ang kanilang power]," he added.

(The power service in the municipality of Itbayat, the island of Itbayat, has been affected. Fuel could not be fully delivered to the island so their power service has been cut to 16 hours as of now.)

Esdicul said provincial authorities are hoping the weather would turn for the better so fuel could be delivered to the island.

"Hopefully may maitatawid pa kami [na fuel] pero maalon pa naman ngayon. So sana po ay mapagkasya pa nila 'yung fuel nila doon," he said.

(Hopefully we could deliver fuel but the seas are rough now. So we hope they could make due with their current fuel supply.)

Esdicul said they have not yet received reports of any evacuation done.

As for communication, it is currently limited to call and text since Internet data service is currently down.

"'Yung komunikasyon natin ay sa call at text lang po. Nawala na po ang data dito sa Batanes kaya hirap na hirap kami. Pero meron naman doon sa isang telco pero hindi masyadong malakas. Medyo hirap kami ngayon," the Batangas PDRRMO chief said.

(As for communication, it is currently limited to call and text. The data service in Batanes is down so we are having a hard time. But there is data service provided by one telco though it is not that strong. So we are having a hard time now.)

He added that flights to and from the island resumed on Thursday, thus the 29 tourists previously stranded have already gone home.

Relief goods have already been prepositioned in municipalities.

"Naka-preposition na 'yan sa bawat munisipyo at ang sabi ng MSW at PSW namin ay binigyan na ng relief goods lahat po ng naapektuhan so 'di pa tayo nagkukulang so ok pa rin po. Pero sana huwag nang lumakas pa ang bagyo," Esdicul said.

(The relief goods have already been prepositioned in each municipality. The Municipal Social Welfare and Provincial Social Welfare offices said all those affected by the previous typhoon were already given relief goods. We have enough relief goods as of now, but we hope the typhoon won't get stronger.)

Goring damage

Damage to agriculture has yet to be fully estimated but mostly vegetables and standing crops such as bananas were affected by Goring, he said.

There may also be reports of infrastructure damage, he added, but a full report will still be done pending receipt of reports from the municipalities, Esdicul said.

Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 was raised over Batanes early Saturday as Hanna (international name: Haikui) continued moving generally westward towards the sea east of Taiwan, PAGASA said in its 5 a.m. bulletin.

Batanes will experience strong winds in 36 hours with wind speeds of 39 to 61 km/h, which pose minimal to minor threat to life and property.

It will also have 50 to 100 mm of rainfall on Sunday.

The typhoon is expected to weaken then become a severe tropical storm or minimal typhoon before exiting the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) around Monday afternoon or evening. —KG, GMA Integrated News