Typhoon Caloy Wreaks Havoc to PBSP Samar

Typhoon Caloy (International Codename: Chanchu) that hit the island of Samar last May 11 and 12, 2006, damaged a lot of properties at the PBSP Samar Field Office.

The Samar Resource Management Program aims to tackle three major areas of concern in Samar until 2009. These are the scaling up of the are coverage to 26 from 15 communities in five from three municipalities within Maqueda Bay and will address the organizational, socio-economic and ecological concerns affecting the lives of some 4,600 poor fishing and farming households.

One of the major components of the SRMP is the expansion of alternative coastal livelihood projects like cage culture of grouper, milkfish, snapper, seabass, seaweed and mussel farming, etc. As such, PBSP established and built in-land fish cages, nurseries, tanks, and floating cages (as shown below, before the typhoon struck).

When the typhoon's coming was announced by PAG-ASA, the PBSP Samar staff prepared precautionary measures. However, due to the strength of the typhoon, damage to properties were inevitable. The PBSP Samar Field Office Staff immediately assessed the damage brought by the typhoon. This was how the floating cages looked after the typhoon:

Damage to properties were evident as well as to the fish stocks, breeders for snappers, trevally (Talakitok), groupers and milkfish were also recorded.

First photo: Grouper breeders: Only 34 pieces left out of 493 pieces reared as breeders.
Second photo: Talakitok (Trevally) recovered 10 out of 88 pieces that were already dead.

First Photo: Milkfish breeders: Only 97 pieces left out of 544 pieces reared as breeders.
Second Photo: Snapper breeders: Only 21 pieces left out of 544 pieces reared as breeders.

Other major damages were also recorded:

(a) 90% Damaged to PBSP & Coop Cages
(b) Cages Separated from each other due to Very Strong Winds and Waves (washed ashore)
(c) 95% of breeders escaped due to tear of nets
(d) Seawater Reservoir with Damaged Canvass Shed
(e) Nursery Tanks with Seabass and Milkfish Fry with Damaged Shed
(f) Larval Tanks Shed with Damaged Nettings

There were also damages to the bunk house of the staff, trees along the driveway uprooted and destroyed, banca damaged, shed houses to tanks were also destroyed.

Estimate of the destruction were pegged at P3.873 Million as value of damaged properties or lost stocks. Another estimated P2.38 Million on unrealized earning due to mortalilty of stocks was also recorded.