‘Betty’ forces evacuation, Signal No. 1 up in NLuzon

APRE-EMPTIVE evacuation of residents in areas on the path of Super Typhoon “Betty” (international name: “Mawar”) began on Saturday, the government said, as a slightly weaker but faster and still destructive storm entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) earlier in the day.

In its 5 p.m. forecast, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Signal No. 1 has been raised in most provinces in Northern Luzon.

These are in Batanes, Cagayan, including Babuyan Islands, Isabela, Apayao, Ilocos Norte, the northern and central portions of Abra (Tineg, Lacub, Lagayan, San Juan, Lagangilang, Licuan-Baay, Malibcong, Danglas, La Paz, Dolores, Tayum, Bucay, Sallapadan, Daguioman, Bucloc, Boliney), Kalinga, the eastern and central portions of Mountain Province (Sadanga, Barlig, Natonin, Paracelis, Bontoc), the eastern and central portions of Ifugao (Mayoyao, Aguinaldo, Alfonso Lista,

Banaue, Hingyon, Lagawe, Lamut, Kiangan, Asipulo), the northern and central portions of Aurora (Dilasag, Casiguran, Dinalungan, Dipaculao), Quirino, and the northeastern portion of Nueva Vizcaya (Kasibu, Quezon, Solano, Bagabag, Diadi, Villaverde, Bayombong, Ambaguio).

Pagasa said Betty has slightly weakened but will remain under the super typhoon category. Its maximum sustained winds have decreased to 185 kilometers per hour (kph) from 195 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 230 kph from 240 kph, as of 3 p.m.

The eye of the storm was estimated at 1,055 kilometers east of Central Luzon and is forecast to track westward in the next 12 hours.

A gale warning is in effect over the northern and eastern seaboards of Northern Luzon, the eastern seaboards of Central and Southern Luzon, and the eastern seaboards of the Visayas and Mindanao, Pagasa said.

It advised “mariners of small seacraft to take precautionary measures when venturing out to sea and, if possible, avoid navigating in these conditions.”

In a news forum in Quezon City on Saturday, Director Edgar Allan Tabell of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said residents in areas that are expected to bear the brunt of the super typhoon, particularly the towns of Sta. Ana and Gonzaga in Cagayan, have started to evacuate to safer grounds.

Aside from the areas in Northern Luzon, residents in Negros Occidental, Palawan and Pampanga have enforced pre-emptive evacuation since Friday, said Diego Mariano, information officer of the Office of Civil Defense-National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (OCD-NDRRMC).

Mariano said the evacuation in these areas, however, was prompted by the onset of heavy rains spawned by the southwest monsoon or “habagat.”

He said that like the forecast of Pagasa, the country is entering the rainy season and should take into account the effects of the southwest monsoon, which could be intensified by the super typhoon.

Standby, Quick Response Funds

Social Welfare Assistant Secretary Romel Lopez said the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has allocated P598 million and P525 million in standby and quick response funds to provide aid to those who would be affected by Betty.

Lopez said the DSWD has also prepositioned almost a million family food packs all over the country.

Lopez said the DSWD has identified Region 1 (Ilocos), Region 3 (Central Luzon), Region 4B (Mimaropa), Region 6 (Western Visayas), Region 7 (Central Visayas), Region 8 (Eastern Visayas), and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) as the most “susceptible” to massive floods and landslides.

Lopez said these areas have a total of 1.5 million residents or 8,000 households or families who will be affected by the storm.

He said the DSWD has prepositioned 294,000 family food packs that could last for a week.

Aside from the prepositioned family food packs and non-food aid, Lopez said that the DSWD has earmarked around P2.1 billion in disaster risk funds.

More support

Meanwhile, the Headquarters Philippine Army (HPA) has activated the Philippine Army Disaster Response Task Force.

It involves Disaster Response Units from the Army Support Command, Installation Management Command, Headquarters and Headquarters Support Group, Army Signal Regiment, Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Finance Center Philippine Army, and the Army Personnel Management Center, which gathered at the Philippine Army Grandstand in Fort Bonifacio on Friday.

The 5th Infantry Division (5ID), whose area of operations covers Cagayan Valley and parts of Cordillera and Ilocos Regions, mustered its Headquarters Emergency Response Company at Camp Melchor F. Dela Cruz, Upi, Gamu, Isabela on the same day.

Maj. Gen. Audrey Pasia, 5ID commander, ordered an inventory of available personnel that could augment possible HADR efforts in the division’s area of responsibility.

The 5ID’s Headquarters Emergency Response Company is also closely coordinating with the Isabela Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) for possible HADR operations in the province.

The 525th Engineer Combat Battalion, the Army’s premier disaster response unit, has been alerted for possible deployment of two light Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams at Camp General Rigoberto Atienza, Libis, Quezon City.

The two Light USAR Teams, composed of veterans in search and rescue operations, are well-equipped.

The Civil-Military Operations Regiment, meanwhile, has coordinated with Army stakeholders and partners for a possible donation drive for communities that will be affected by the super typhoon.

“The Philippine Army, in keeping with the spirit of ‘bayanihan,’ will work closely with national government agencies, local government units, and nongovernment organizations, to help our fellow Filipinos who will be affected by the super typhoon. Rest assured, your Philippine Army is well-prepared to lend a helping hand in areas on the path of the storm,” said Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., Army commanding general.

Reminder

Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr. reminded LGUs to “undertake necessary preparedness measures and prepare their disaster response systems and assets to ensure the safety of the people during heavy rains.”

“It’s not just Mawar or Betty that the LGUs and our compatriots should prepare for, but also [the] habagat that will bring heavy rains and flooding. Let’s be smart and be careful,” Abalos said.

The DILG chief also called on LGUs to follow protocols contained in the “Operation Listo” manual for the preparation and response to emergencies caused by typhoons such as Betty.