*You can check out photos of the damage brought by typhoon COSME on YouTube.Just type in the following keywords: Cosme and Alaminos City, Pangasinan.*
Typhoon ‘Cosme’ has left hundreds of Alaminians homeless and millions of pesos worth of damages to properties when it battered northern Luzon Saturday afternoon.
Gutsy winds of 105 kilometers per hour that made landfall as early as 3 PM have blown off ropes of houses and commercial establishments from the city’s central business district down to the remote barangays and coastal villages.
The city also incurred insurmountable damages on agriculture that include crops, livestock and fisheries sectors.
Fish pens and fish cages full of milkfish, grouper (lapu-lapu) that are ready for harvest including fruit bearing trees like mangoes, banana and high value crops were all destroyed by the strong winds and rain.
Even government facilities such as school buildings, post harvest facilities, barangay centers and gymnasiums as well as parks were not spared by the typhoon’s fury.
Litters are all over the city as uprooted and fallen trees, iron sheets, and other debris were scattered along major thoroughfares and barangay roads making it impassable for more than a day.
Electric posts were also destroyed and power outage in the city remainsfor a month or two.
But Pangasinan Electric Cooperative I (PANELCO) is optimistic that they could restore power in the Poblacion area in a week.
All of the city’s 39 barangays is affected by the wrath of Cosme, said Acting City Mayor Teofilo G. Humilde Jr., during the meeting of the city disaster coordinating council (CDCC) headed by Mayor Hernani A. Braganza.
Braganza is currently on official business in US when the horrible news broke.
He is now in constant communication with Humilde and the CDCC to ensure that all the necessary aids and services are being extended to the typhoon victims.
“We are still thankful that there are no casualties in our city. What we have are only few cases of minor injuries due to falling debris.” said Humilde.
Reports from Pangasinan Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council revealed that Cosme death toll in the province is now at 12.
Aside from Alaminos, the towns of Infanta, Dasol, Labrador and Lingayen were also heavily devastated by Cosme.
Humilde said the local folks are fully aware of the typhoon which strucked the city before dark but they’re never prepared that it is worst than what they have expected.
“This is so far the worst typhoon to hit the province or exactly 10 years after super typhoon ‘Gading’ slammed Luzon and claiming hundreds if lives,” added the acting mayor.
City administrator Wilmer Panabang said as early 7am last Saturday, city government had closed the Hundred Islands National Park to all tourists and motorboat operators.
Fisherfolks were even advised to forego their fishing activities. Residents from the ten coastal barangays were directed to seek higher or safer grounds.
While, residents from the rest of the city were forewarned to take all the necessary precautions and preparations before the storm rips the province.
Panabang said among the city’s priorities in the aftermath of the typhoon include rescuing the victims and provide instant assistance to the residents and that no barangay is isolated.
“We make it a point to clear all road networks and bridges the soonest possible time so that our citymates could go to the city proper and buy all they need in the market.
The CDCC has also deployed its inter-agency task force assess typhoon damages, conduct rescue and clearing operations, distribute relief goods and extend other important services to the people.
The composite team include the City Health Office, City Social Welfare and Development Office, Public Order and Safety Office, City Agriculture Office, City Veterinary Office, City Engineering Office and the City General Services Office.
City has recently procured 100 sacks of rice from NFA and groceries to augment existing stocks for the relief operations.
Financial assistance for the less fortunate families is also now being readied by the city government.
Braganza and Humilde assured their citymates, through their barangay leaders, that the city has enough food and water supply and is doing its best to attend all the dire needs of their constituents.
To prevent the possible outbreak of water-borne diseases, Alaminians were likewise urged to thoroughly clean their surroundings and no longer wait for government trucks to pick-up the tons of garbage in the barangays.
CDCC is still on the process of assessing and verifying reports on the damages brought by the typhoon to the as barangay leaders do the house-house assessment to cover every nook and cranny of the city. (CIO)
