TWO more people were reported to have died from super typhoon “Julian” which has weakened into a typhoon, bringing the death toll from the weather disturbance to least four.

The Ilocos Norte provincial government confirmed the additional deaths as it announced the declaration of the province under a state of calamity due to damage incurred from Julian.

“The typhoon brought heavy rains, strong winds, and widespread flooding, resulting in substantial damage to properties, agricultural areas, and disruption to livelihoods across various parts of the province,” the province said in its Facebook page.

The province has placed damage to crops at P85 million and damage to livestock and poultry was pegged at P385,000.

“Two casualties have been reported – one in Batac City and one in Laoag City — and one person is reported missing in Paoay (town),” it also said.

Randy Nicolas, officer of Ilocos provincial risk reduction and management office, said the fatality in Batac was an 87-year-old grandmother. He did not say the cause of death.

Nicolas said the other fatality suffered cardiac arrest while inside an evacuation center in Laoag City.

Nicolas said the deaths are being validated further to determine if they are indeed related directly to Julian.

Nicolas said 18,000 families were affected by Julian and 1,000 persons are housed in evacuation centers as of yesterday morning.

The two other earlier-reported deaths were in Cagayan (electrocution) and Ilocos Sur (drowning).

Batanes Gov. Marilou Cayco said the provincial risk reduction and management council has recommended to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan the declaration of the province under state of calamity “due to the massive extend of devastation” of Julian.

Ruelie Rapsing, chief of the Cagayan provincial disaster reduction and management office, said they are recommending the declaration of the province under state of calamity.

Rapsing said almost all farmers in the province were affected by Julian, noting that farmlands were flooded due to heavy rains.

“The agriculture sector was severely affected. Rice was the major crop that was affected, then of course corn and other high-value crops,” said Rapsing, without giving an estimate on the cost of damage to agriculture in the province.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) has yet to report any Julian-related deaths. It only reported eight injured and one missing.

Data from the NDRRMC showed 43,093 families or 149,293 persons were affected in 552 barangays in Ilocos region, Cagayan Valley and Cordillera Administrative Region.

Of the number, 1,567 families or 5,431 persons are still displaced — either housed at 91 evacuation centers or staying with their relatives and friends.

Julian weakened into a typhoon, from super typhoon, yesterday morning while outside the Philippine area of responsibility.

As of 4 p.m. yesterday, Julian was some 275 km west northwest of Itbayat, Batanes, PAGASA said in a bulletin issued at 5 p.m. Julian was packing maximum sustained winds of 165 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 205 kph. It was moving northward at 15 kph.

It was forecast to turn northeastward towards the southwestern coast of Taiwan where it is expected to make landfall this morning after reentering the northwestern boundary of the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR).

PAGASA said Julian will not directly affect the country even if it reenters the PAR.

It said Julian is forecast to “rapidly weaken.”

“Further weakening is expected once Julian hits the landmass over Taiwan due to frictional effects. The tropical cyclone may become a remnant low on weekend,” said PAGASA.