Almost a month after Typhoon Odette devastated the northern town of Roxas, families continue to appeal for help as they try to start anew and rebuild their homes.
ABC President and town legislator Anne Catalan in an interview Thursday, said those who were greatly affected by the typhoon in their town needed continuous support and aid from the government and private sector in order for them to sustain their needs, especially food in the coming days.
“Hindi ko alam kung papaano kami babangon. Ang hirap ng kalagayan ng mga tao. Pero alam ko na ang lahat ng mga nangyayari ay may dahilan,” Catalan said.
She added that livelihood and agricultural lands were totally battered by Odette and that they don’t have any idea on when can they recover from the devastation.
“First time sa history ng Roxas na dumaan ‘yung ganyang kalakas na bagyo. Hindi naming ine-expect kasi akala naming ganoon lang, ‘yun pala eh kagaya na sa mga napapanood namin sa TV. Talagang ang hirap kapag kalikasan na ang naningil,” Catalan said.
“Nakita natin ang hirap ng ating mga kababayan lalo na dito sa south barangays ng Roxas, talagang dito sinalanta ng husto. ‘Yung mga kabuhayan totally vanished kagaya ng mga kasuyan, 100% ‘yan pati mga sagingan at niyogan,” she added.
The Disaster Assessment and Needs Analysis (DANA) Team from the Palawan Provincial Government has reported that at least 89,164 individuals of 22, 654 families in Roxas have been affected.
As of January 8, DANA said that 26,175 individuals from 7,551 families in the said town are still sheltering in various barangay evacuation centers.
In terms of agricultural damage, Roxas topped the most severely affected in the province with P858,066,708.80.
DANA also noted that Roxas is the highest among 12 assessed and monitored municipalities with P602,870,946.00 in infrastructure.
Power supply is still unavailable in the town as the Palawan Electric Cooperative (PALECO) is still working on restoring its lines as of press time.
The typhoon also left ten people dead in the said town.