The February 9 windstorm damaged about 70 houses in Paro.

Paro’s disaster management officer, Nagphey, said that most households would be eligible for insurance claims. “As the damage were not major, these households will be provided timber kidu. The number of timber would be based on the size of the house or the parts damaged.”

In Dogar gewog, parts of two choeten’s were damaged. Walls and window parts of houses were also damaged. Twenty houses were damaged in Naja.

Department of Disaster Management’s (DDM) officials said that timber would be provided to the houses after estimates are worked by the dzongkhag engineer, which would be forwarded to the dzongkhag’s forest officer.

Naja Gup kinley Wangdi said that officials of Royal Insurance Corporation of Bhutan inspected the damaged houses on February 10. “People were collecting the parts of the rooftops that were blown off by the wind today. Some had already started repairing their rooftops.”

DDM officials said that all houses damaged were insured. “Of the 27 houses damaged in Doteng, only one house seems ineligible to avail of insurance claims as the house was newly built.”

Officials said that besides Naja and Doteng gewog, damage was also reported from four other gewogs in the dzongkhag. “Ten houses in Dopshari, two in Lango, nine in Tsento, and one in Dogar were damaged by the windstorm.”

Rinchen Zangmo

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