ILOILO City – Starting Monday, the entire Western Visayas will be under a “blue alert” status in preparation for typhoon Tisoy, which entered the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) Saturday.
Although the region is not along the typhoon’s projected path, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) is not leaving anything to chance as Tisoy’s outer rain bands may bring scattered rains and thunderstorms.
“Mag-raise tayo ng blue alert status starting 8 a.m. on Monday. Kailangan nating i-activate ang operation center para ma-monitor at maka-response kaagad sa mga areas especially in Panay,” OCD Region 6 director Jose Roberto Nuñez.
In its 5 p.m. bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said “Tisoy” was located 1,165 kilometers east of Virac, Catanduanes packing maximum sustained winds of 150 kilo-meters per hour (kph) and gusts of up to 185 kph. It is moving west southwest at 15 kph.
Nuñez, who chairs the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) 6, urged the local government units (LGUs) and DRRM councils particularly of Capiz, Aklan and Antique to intensify their monitoring of the landslide- and flood-prone areas.
“‘Yung preparation o paghahanda dapat sa kanila sa LGU to identify the landslide- and flood-prone areas para ma-monitor. And those bridges and posts natin all over Panay kailangan tingnan and ma-assess para mabilis at madali ang pag-response natin,” Nuñez said during the RDRRMC’s Pre-Disaster Risk Assessment meeting on Saturday.
He cited the state weather bureau’s forecast, saying Tisoy will not directly hit Western Visayas. The typhoon’s center will mostly affect areas in Luzon and some parts of the Eastern Visayas, he said.
Nuñez, however, alerted the provinces of Capiz, Aklan and Antique, including the Boracay Island in Malay, Aklan for a higher possibility of thunderstorms in their area if typhoon “Tisoy” enters the Philippine Area of Responsibility today.
“Mostly doon na areas tatama ang ulan so dapat bantayan ‘yung areas especially Capiz, Aklan and Boracay na flood prone areas and Antique naman na landslide prone,” Nuñez added.
The provincial DRRM office of Capiz, meanwhile, reported on Nov. 29 that eight barangays from its five municipalities were flooded.
These villages include Barangay Pagbunitan in Sigma; Barangay Sto. Angel in Dumalag; barangays Tinaytayan, Poblacion Ilaya and Salcedo in Dumarao; barangays Enseñagan and Tincupon in Panit-an; and Barangay Malagab-i in Cuartero.
The flooding subsided as of this writing and none has so far been brought to the evacuation centers, Nuñez said.
He also advised the landslide- and flood-prone areas in the region to not wait for the order to evacuate if they see a rising water level in their areas, reminding the LGUs to identify and put signs in evacuation centers to be used by the locals.
“Ako ay nanawagan sa lahat dito sa Western Visayas especially sa Panay areas na si bagyo “Tisoy” ay na sa Pilipinas na at ako’y nanawagan sa mga landslide prone areas and flood prone areas na ‘wag antayin na ang national government ang magsabi na masiglikas na kayo. Pag-medyo alam ninyo na mataas na ang tubig mag-evacuate kaagad,” Nuñez said.
Meanwhile, Iloilo City mayor Jerry Treñas issued Executive Order No. 148 which raised a “blue alert” status in the city on Nov. 29, activating the Iloilo City Emergency Operations Center to provide command, control, coordination, and communications” in preparation for the typhoon.
The “blue alert” status means all local DRRM councils with the concerned agencies including the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine Coast Guard, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the Department of Health will monitor the situations in their respective areas at all times and to file a situational report to the Operations Center of the RDRRMC which will be tasked to submit a report to the national DRRMC./PN
