ILOILO City – Western Visayas’ 24/7 Emergency Operations Center (EOC) blue alert status was retained as Typhoon “Betty” (international name: “Wamar”) weakened.
This was concurred by the Pre-Disaster Risk Assessment (PDRA) Analyst Group of
Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) during its virtual meeting on Saturday, May 27.
The council also issued Memorandum No. 47-2023, maintaining the said alert status effective May 27.
Under the blue alert status, the BRAVO Protocol was activated.
Bravo Protocol is the second highest Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR).
All six provinces in the region (Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, and Negros Occidental) and two highly-urbanized cities (Bacolod and Iloilo) were classified as high risk/susceptible to landslide and flooding.
Moreover, Camp Coordination and Camp Management, Food and Non-Food Items, Logistics and Search, Rescue and Retrieval clusters are also activated and on standby.
All local DRRM councils in the region are further directed to closely monitor their respective area of responsibility, submit situation reports to RDRRMC VI EOC, and strengthen coordination with the RDRRMC VI member agencies.
Preemptive evacuation
Despite the fair weather, some local government units in the region have imposed preemptive evacuation.
Some 1,229 families composed of 4,010 persons were moved to safer places or evacuation centers starting Saturday.
In Negros Occidental, 1,082 families composed of 3,659 persons were preemptively evacuated.
They were from Hinoba-an (eight barangays with 1,082 families composed of 3,150 persons), EB Magalona (one barangay with 19 families composed of 59 persons), and Sipalay City (two barangays with 270 families composed of 450 persons).
In Antique, 111 families composed of 255 persons also left their homes for safety: Patnongon (one barangay with 73 families composed of 246 persons), Anini-y (two barangays with 22 families composed of nine persons, and Tibiao (one barangay with seven families).
Meanwhile, 36 families composed of 96 persons were also preemptively evacuated in Roxas City, Capiz.
The RDRRMC VI reiterated its advise to the public to remain vigilant and monitor weather updates.
Based on Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration’s (PAGASA) Tropical Cyclone Bulletin No. 7, as of 5 p.m. yesterday Typhoon “Betty” decelerated as it moved west northwestward over the Philippine Sea, east of Northern Luzon.
The center of the eye of typhoon was estimated based on all available data at 630 kilometers (km) east of Tuguegarao City, Cagayan with maximum sustained winds of 165 kilometers per hour (km/h) near the center, gustiness of up to 205 km/h, and central pressure of 940 high-pressure area.
Moreover, “Betty” is forecasted to move west northwestward or northwestward for the next 36 hours while gradually decelerating. It will likely become slow-moving to almost stationary by Tuesday, May 30, while over the waters east of Batanes.
It will then move northward or north northeastward by mid-Wednesday towards the sea east of Taiwan.
According to the state weather bureau, “Betty” will likely remain as a typhoon throughout the forecast period, although it is expected to gradually weaken until Tuesday. Afterwards, increasingly unfavorable environment while moving northward or north northeastward on Wednesday or Thursday will result in a faster weakening rate.
“Betty” may be downgraded to severe tropical storm category on Thursday, June 1./PN
