By Villamor Visaya Jr.
TUGUEGARAO CITY-While toppled and roof-blown schools and houses pervade in Babuyan Claro islet, an isolated village within the island-town of Calayan in Cagayan, after Supertyphoon Nando’s onslaught, the bigger problem comes for 1,910 villagers or 347 households there—lack of food supplies and other basic commodities.
“Apart from the destruction to our houses and properties, we, as residents on the island, are also afraid that the remaining food stock on Babuyan Claro island will only last for two to three days after the storm, Babuyan Claro village councilor Bernie Nunez said via online on Tuesday.
Villagers with flown houses fled to evacuation centers or higher grounds. However, their rice stocks and other food items were soaked by the rain when strong winds blew off the roofs of houses, he added.
Groceries and other commodity shops also have no reserves because they were also hit by the storm, the village official added.
An islet-village separate and isolated with its mother town, Calayan, Babuyan Claro residents could not travel or have difficulty going to mainland Cagayan to get supplies due to strong and high waves.
“The storm also damaged many boats, making it even more difficult to find food,” he said, adding that root crops have also been ravaged by the typhoon.
Potable water has also been a problem in the town.
Village officials have called “for immediate aid, particularly food, which is the main staple needed at the moment,” Nunez said.
Nuñez hoped that the government officials in mainland Calayan town and Cagayan province will heed their plea and make ways to address their problem there soon.#
