Manila: Still reeling from the effects of Super Typhoon Nando (international name Ragasa), residents of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) were advised on Tuesday to remain on alert, this time for the new tropical cyclone expected within the week.
According to Philippines News Agency, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the newly formed tropical cyclone will be named Opong once it enters the Philippine Area of Responsibility. With Opong on the horizon, Cordillera Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC) chairperson and Office of Civil Defense (OCD) director Albert Mogol cautioned residents against going to flood and landslide-prone areas and encouraged them to delay non-essential travel to avoid weather-related accidents.
This warning comes after one person was reportedly killed and several others injured when their vehicle was struck by landslides along Marcos Highway on Monday, an area identified as landslide-prone. “Be careful, extra careful, and cautious when there is a weather disturbance,” Mogol advised.
As of noon Tuesday, 4,120 families or 11,814 individuals are staying in 133 evacuation centers across the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), according to Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Regional Director Maria Aplaten. Apart from those in evacuation centers, 1,421 other families or 4,069 individuals have sought temporary shelter in the houses of friends or relatives.
“The local government units and the DSWD are jointly helping the internally displaced families. We are also assessing for financial provisions under the assistance to individuals in crisis,” Aplaten stated in a media interview. She revealed that a total of PHP585,979 worth of humanitarian assistance has already been provided to the typhoon victims.
Aplaten also noted that the region has 80,626 available family food packs, most of them prepositioned in local government units for easy access. Additionally, there are 19,186 non-food items and 4,481 ready-to-eat food packs worth a total of PHP105.52 million ready for distribution.
