BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – At least 1,015 families in Negros Occidental were pre-emptively evacuated in preparation for the effects of the southwesterly windflow strengthened by Typhoon “Betty”.
In the town of Hinoba-an, authorities evacuated a total of 793 families from the villages of Sangke, Bacuyangan, Bulwangan, Asia, Alim, Pook, I Poblacion, and Talacagay.
While 67 families in Sipalay City were also evacuated after the southern part of the province started to experience rain. The affected families were from the villages of Gil Montilla and Manlucahoc.
Tents were set up by the City Social Welfare Development Office inside evacuation centers to provide the families with some privacy and food packs were distributed.
In the town of E.B. Magalona, 19 families in one village also evacuated.
As part of the locality’s preparations, the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) conducted an information campaign in all 23 barangays, reminding them of the dangers of the typhoon, such as storm surges, floods, and landslides.
The MDRRMO, along with the Municipal Engineer’s Office and General Services Office, cleared and declogged all waterways on Saturday.
There are no tropical cyclone wind signals for the Visayas, although the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration warned that “Betty” is expected to enhance windflow in the western portion of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao./PN
