Batanes was nearly flattened by what is now considered one of the strongest typhoons this year.
All six towns in the province could not escape the wrath of Typhoon Julian.
As the typhoon moved away, the damage it left behind was a nightmare for the Ivatans.
In Sabtang, houses were flooded.
Trees were nearly uprooted by the strong winds.
Boats at the port, pummeled by huge waves, were desperately salvaged.
Houses were destroyed.
Even the merchandise at this store seemed to have been swept away by the storm.
Strong winds battered Ivana town.
The typhoon didnโt spare the San Jose de Obrero Church.
Even this church in Uyugan was flooded.
Floodwaters surged in yesterday.
There were also reports of landslides on some roads.
But as the storm passed, residents and authorities joined hands in cleaning up the aftermath in the town.
Uyugan Mayor Jonathan Enrique Nanud called an emergency meeting with local officials to plan their response for affected residents.
In Basco, this vehicle overturned.
Fallen trees and roof debris blocked roads.
Some residents spent the night in evacuation centers, while others had no homes to return to after the typhoon destroyed their houses.
Some houses were left with nothing but their posts.
By 10 in the morning last September 30, strong winds and rain from Typhoon Julian were felt in Itbayat.
In the initial assessment of the Batanes Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC), over 2,400 houses in the province were damaged.
Sixty percent of these were totally destroyed, while 40% were partially damaged.
Over 2,500 residents were evacuated at the height of the typhoon.
Batanes Electric Cooperative is attempting to restore power in the province after their plants in Sabtang, Batan, and Itbayat islands shut down yesterday.
**CHARLES NIKKO LIMON
