Visayas, Mindanao LGUs brace for Storm Ramon

(Updated 11 p.m.) Local government units (LGUs) in Visayas and Mindanao started putting in place their defenses against Tropical Storm Ramon, which disaster officials on Tuesday said could bring landslides and flash floods over its northwest path when it makes landfall Wednesday. In its Tuesday evening update, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) warned of the rain Ramon could dump on affected areas. Ramon is estimated to bring rainfall of 10 to 30 millimeters per hour within its 400-kilometer diameter, said the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) in a separate update Tuesday. Typhooon Pedring, on the other hand, brought 15 to 25 mm of rainfall per hour within its 650-diamater radius when it battered Luzon two weeks ago. Typhoons Pedring and Quiel wrought at least P9.5 billion in collective damage to affected farms and infrastructure, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported. With tropical depression Ramon upgraded to full-blown storm, PAGASA placed six areas in Visayas and another six locales in Mindanao under Storm Signal No. 2 and 19 other areas in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao under Signal No.1. Ramon is on a northwest track cutting through northeastern Mindanao to the Southern Tagalog island provinces. Noting the risks Ramon poses to lives, crops and infrastructure, NDRRMC executive director Benito Ramos directed all regional disaster officials in Visayas and Mindanao to undertake the necessary precautionary measures, and to initiate the preventive evacuation of affected families if needed. Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia has ordered the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council reactivated, said Marivic Garces, head of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development unit, in a phone interview with GMA News Online. 'No damage yet' “Municipal mayors in northern Cebu — the island mayors — including Poro Island, have already reported the current situation. There were minimal floods, but no damage to people and properties yet," Garces said. “The governor has ordered the line agencies to prepare and pool their resources in case the storm intensifies, including the National Food Authority to make rice available for local government units to purchase on credit," the provincial Social Welfare chief noted. “I’ve called all the mayors concerned, telling them that preparation is better than emergency evacuation, and they have to issue early warning for people who live along esteros and rivers to leave so that we can avoid any unfortunate developments to occur later on," said Garces, who was deputized as the provincial disaster officer Tuesday. "Especially people who live on hillsides and prone to landslides must evacuate," she added. In a briefing by PAGASA officials in the province, Garces noted there was certainty that “Ramon" will impact on Cebu’s island municipalities in the north that include the Camotes Islands, Bantayan Island and Poro Island. Disaster officials in previously devastated areas have learned their “lessons" from 11 tropical cyclones that killed people and damaged crops, livestock and infrastructure from May to October, the NDRRMC noted in its latest update. (See PDF below) Bracing for 'Ramon' A number of officials from areas that “Ramon" will likely batter bared their plans to brace their respective provinces against the storm when GMA News chanced upon them at an event organized by the Department of Interior and Local Government on Tuesday. Northern Samar Gov. Paul Daza said the provincial government is disseminating information about the storm, via text messaging, so that officials from the municipal down to the barangay levels get the low down on Ramon. “Kasi ang susi diyan talaga, all the way to the barangay level, may information campaign na tayo agad," Daza said in an interview aired on GMA News’ “24 Oras" newscast.
In another interview, Surigao del Norte Gov. Sol Matugas said his focus is on evacuation efforts. “You have to pressure them really to move out. May command ‘yan. When it’s time for them to move out, move out," Matugas said. Surigao del Sur Gov. Johnny Pimentel said his province trained its constituents to respond to disastrous events, such as tsunamis. Agusan del Sur Gov. Adolf Edward Plaza emphasized the importance of dredging the Agusan River for the water to flow through and prevent disastrous floods from developing during storms. “I hope the national government can help the province of Agusan del Sur and Butuan City with regard to this, since ‘yung Agusan del Sur, ‘yun nga ‘yung catchbasin ng four or five provinces," Plaza said. LGUs in Cebu were tasked “to provide relocation centers, especially if the storm intensifies, with barangay centers and schools designated as evacuation centers," said the province’s Social Welfare chief. — GMA News