Families evacuate as 'Mina' pounds Cagayan

Several families were forcibly evacuated from their homes in high-risk areas as Typhoon Mina (Nanmadol) made landfall over Cagayan province Saturday morning. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said evacuation in some of the areas had started as early as Friday, but the evacuation efforts are now going full blast. “Ang iba na ayaw lumikas ay pinilit na (Families who had refused to leave their homes no longer have a choice)," NDRRMC head Benito Ramos said on government-run dzRB radio. He said the areas where forced evacuation is ongoing include:

• Sta. Ana
• San Vicente
• Buguey
• Aparri
• Sta. Praxedes
• Ballesteros
• Sanchez-Mira
• Lal-lo
• Camalaniugan

A separate report on government-run dzRB radio said evacuation was also ongoing in Gonzaga town. In Malacañang, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda appealed to residents to heed the warnings of disaster management officials. “Makinig tayo sa warning at instruction ng NDRRMC at kani-kanilang mga disaster risk and rehabilitation officials especially in the north," he said on government-run dzRB radio. Meanwhile, Ramos advised motorists and travelers against going north at this time, as Mina remains a serious threat to Northern Luzon. Earlier, Ramos said two children in Pangasinan were reported killed after being buried alive in a landslide in San Fabian town. — LBG, GMA News