Iloilo city: The city government here aims to finish evacuating thousands of residents from coastal communities by 10 a.m. Tuesday, ahead of the expected landfall of Typhoon Tino (Kalmaegi) in Iloilo.
According to Philippines News Agency, in a virtual press conference on Monday evening, Darwin Papa, head of the disaster response division of the Iloilo City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, said that they had started evacuating residents from high-risk barangays. As of 8 p.m. Monday, evacuations had been completed for 575 families, comprising 2,012 individuals from 24 barangays.
“Our ultimate time, we can consider the most critical period when all the target residents are inside evacuation centers is 10 a.m. tomorrow (Tuesday). By that particular hour, they should be in our evacuation centers,” he said. He stated that over 6,000 individuals residing in coastal areas would be evacuated.
The local government has opened 450 evacuation centers all over the city, capable of accommodating over 47,000 families or 226,741 individuals. The temporary shelters have been readied with available family tents, beddings, and food. The local government has also activated its community kitchen to provide cooked meals to families inside evacuation centers, and meals have been provided to 162 stranded passengers at the Parola wharf after trip cancellations bound for Guimaras.
Papa mentioned that if there is no deviation in the typhoon track, the impact is expected to be felt in the city around 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday. “Based on the trajectory and the movement, by 2 a.m. on Wednesday, the typhoon will be in the area of Palawan,” he added.
Meanwhile, More Electric and Power Corp., in its cyclone bulletin released around 6 a.m., stated it has escalated from Blue Alert status to Orange Alert effective immediately. “Under Orange Alert protocols, we are deploying additional manning and crew resources, including standby teams, additional response vehicles, and specialized support personnel. Our crew rotations are also being adjusted to maintain adequate rest periods, minimizing fatigue and ensuring optimal performance during this critical period,” it said. This move ensures fast mobilization in cases of power outages or emergency repairs.
The Panay Energy Development Corp. also activated its contingency plans and stringent operational protocols to manage severe weather disturbances, emphasizing the protection of its vital plant infrastructure and workforce safety.
Classes in all levels and work in government offices within the jurisdiction of Iloilo City have been suspended, while private establishments are encouraged to do the same for worker safety. Iloilo City has been placed under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 by the state weather bureau.
