InterAksyon The online news portal of TV5 (UPDATE 3 - 1:58 a.m., Dec. 4, 2014) MANILA, Philippines - Forty-four provinces have been placed by the government on critical alert as the areas may suffer heavy damage if Typhoon Hagupit lashes the Philippines. The typhoon is expected to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility early morning of Thursday, December 4, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa). During a meeting led by officials of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and weather experts from Pagasa on Wednesday, December 3, the following provinces were placed on Alert Level C, which means that the areas may experience heavy to intense rains and sustained winds of 95 to 110 kilometers per hour (kph) Agusan Del Norte Agusan Del Sur Aklan Albay Antique Biliran Bohol Bukidnon Camarines Norte Camarines Sur Camiguin Capiz Catanduanes Cebu Compostela Valley Davao Del Norte Davao Oriental Dinagat Island Eastern Samar Guimaras Iloilo Lanao Del Norte Lanao Del Sur Leyte Marinduque Masbate Misamis Oriental Misamis Occidental Negros Occidental Negros Oriental Northern Samar Occidental Mindoro Oriental Mindoro Palawan Quezon Romblon Samar Siquijor Sorsogon Southern Leyte Surigao Del Norte Surigao Del Sur Zamboanga Del Norte Zamboanga Del Sur Provinces on Alert Level C may suffer heavy damage to agriculture and experience widespread disruption of electrical power and communication services. Travel is very risky especially by sea and air. The following areas have been placed under Alert Level B where moderate to heavy rains of five to 10 millimeters per hour and sustained winds of 30 to 60 kph are expected: Batangas Davao Del Sur Laguna Maguindanao North Cotabato Zamboanga Sibugay These areas have been put on Alert Level A, which means that the places could experience sustained winds of 30 to 45 kph and rains of five to 10 millimeters per hour: Camarines Sur Cavite Metro Manila Rizal Sultan Kudarat Zamboanga City Satellite image courtesy of Accuweather In its 11 p.m. bulletin, Pagasa said Hagupit, with maximum sustained winds of 160 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 195 kph, is expected to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility early morning of Thursday, December 4, and would be given the local name “Ruby.” The weather bureau said that as of 10 p.m., Wednesday, the center of Hagupit was located based on all available data at 1,108 kilometers east of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur (8.8N, 136.4°E). Hagupit is expected to be 598 km east Southeast of Guiuan, Eastern Samar Thursday evening and 219 km East of Guiuan, Eastern Samar by Friday evening, according to Pagasa. By Saturday evening, it is expected to be in the vicinity of Borongan Eastern Samar. Hagupit’s estimated rainfall amount is from 7.5 to 20 millimeter per hour (heavy to intense) within the 600 km-diameter of the typhoon. Meanwhile, the Department of Education said through its Twitter account @DepEd_PH that it had directed field offices and schools to prepare for the possible onslaught of Hagupit during the weekend. It said administrators could make their schools safe from the typhoon by doing the following: Unplug computers and other electrical equipment Move textbooks, school records, furniture, and other important materials to safe areas Secure roof beams with wires or heavy duty ropes Board up jalousies and windows with plywood or other secure material. Prune trees especially those adjacent to buildings and along electrical posts Secure all ongoing construction projects including supplies and materials For its part, the Eastern Mindanao Command on Wednesday said it alerted all its disaster response units in preparation for Hagupit. With this looming calamity, the Eastern Mindanao Command is preparing for readiness its disaster response capability, Eastern Mindanao Command spokesperson Major Ezra Balagtey said. All subordinate units of the Eastern Mindanao Command have already been ordered to prepare and activate designated disaster response units and coordinate with their respective local disaster risk reduction management council. “We are preparing for two scenarios, one is if the tropical storm will landfall within the Eastern Mindanao Command AOR (area of responsibility) and, the second is if it will hit the Visayas. The command is prepared for both scenarios that necessitate Disaster Response Units to be deployed in affected areas,” Eastern Mindanao Command chief Lt. Gen. Aurelio Baladad said. During the onslaught of Typhoon Yolanda, the Eastern Mindanao Command sent its Task Force “Tambayayong” to Leyte for humanitarian and disaster response operations. The same readiness will be demonstrated by the command in case the Visayas will be hit badly by the storm, according to Balagtey. Visayas, Mindanao areas prepare for typhoon In Iloilo, the Pre-Disaster Risk Assessment Team convened on Wednesday for in order to assess the hazards that could possibly happen due to the typhoon. In Misamis Oriental, Governor Yevgeny Vincente Emano ordered on Wednesday the provincial disaster council to review the protocols during emergency situations. Edmundo Pacamalan Jr., provincial administrator and head of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC), said all necessary resources were already in place, especially the communication facilities. “Our dump trucks and other heavy equipment are also ready to be deployed,” Pacamalan said. He said the PDRRMC was keeping a close watch on various areas in the province, which are prone to flooding and landslides. “There are municipal towns in the province’s east and west districts which are susceptible to landslides and flooding. We are keeping a close watch on these areas,” Pacamalan said. In Cebu, the government mobilized all barangays in the city to prepare for Hagupit. Cebu City Councilor Dave Tumulak said the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Managemet Council had ordered an inventory of all rescue and communication equipment as early as last Monday. In Dumaguete, Mayor Manuel Sagarbarria convened Wednesday the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council to lessen Hagupit’s impact on lives and property. Engr. Jose Chu, head of Dumaguete’s Disaster Management Office, said the city government had already reviewed and laid out its contingency plans for a worst case scenario. Chu said that based on a report from the City Social Welfare and Development Office, at least 18 barangays near rivers and creeks and seven other coastal barangays were identified as priority areas in the event of flooding and storm surges. The 18 barangays near the Banica River and Okoy River that are prone to flooding are Buñao, Tinago, Calindagan, Barangay 8, Camanjac, Candauay, Mangnao, Bantayan, Cadawinonan, Poblacion 2, Tabuctubig, Batinguel, Junob, Taclobo and Bagacay. The coastal barangays that are at risk of storm surge or huge waves are Piapi, Tinago, Calindagan, Looc, Banilad, Mangnao and Bantayan. In Camiguin, Governor Jurdin Jesus Romualdo on Wednesday said all emergency needs – foods, medicines and hospitals, evacuation centers, and logistics – are now in place. Romualdo said that he had already inspected all important areas around the island-province to make sure that all necessary emergency procedures were being followed. The island’s National Food Authority a stockpile of rice good for at least three months, according to Romualdo. “I went to NFA to find out if the bags of rice are fully covered in order to protect it from the rain,” he said. -with reports from Tricia Aquino, InterAksyon
Posted on: Thu, 04 Dec 2014 10:23:58 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015