BY MARY JOY CAVAÑAS
ILOILO – Western Visayas has been placed under blue alert status due to the southwest monsoon or habagat, which is being enhanced by Typhoon “Jenny”.
In preparation for the possible effects of the typhoon, the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) Region 6 issued Memorandum No. 92, series of 2023, yesterday afternoon.
Typhoon “Jenny” intensified before dawn, leading the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) to raise Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 over several areas in Northern Luzon.
Yesterday, RDRRMC-6 activated the following response clusters: Search, Rescue and Retrieval (SRR); Protection, Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM); Food and Non-Food Items (FNFIs); Law and Order; Logistics; Emergency Telecommunication (ETC); and Education and Health.
All local disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) councils in the region have been directed to monitor their respective areas, submit situation reports to RDRRMC-6’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC), and enhance their coordination with other member agencies.
RDRRMC-6 also advises the public to stay vigilant and keep updated with weather reports.
As of 5 p.m. yesterday, Typhoon “Jenny” continued to intensify while moving northwestward over the Philippine Sea.
The center of the typhoon was estimated to be 485 kilometers east of Basco, Batanes, with maximum sustained winds of 155 km/h near the center and gusts up to 190 km/h.
PAGASA’s 5 p.m. bulletin listed the following areas under Signal No. 1:
* Batanes
* Cagayan, including the Babuyan Islands
* Northern and eastern portions of Isabela
* Apayao
* Northern and central portions of Ilocos Norte
* Northeastern portion of Abra
* Northern portion of Kalinga
PAGASA also noted that “Jenny” will continue to amplify the habagat, resulting in occasional monsoon rains over the western parts of central and southern Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao over the next three days./PN
