By Leilanie Adriano
TUGUEGARAO CITY – Local disaster risk reduction and management council members in the provinces of Cagayan and Batanes continued to brace for Typhoon Marce (international name Yinxing) on Wednesday as it headed towards this part of Luzon.
Ronald Villa, operations head of the Office of Civil Defense 2 (Cagayan Valley), reported in a press briefing held via Zoom, that all concerned government agencies were on red alert to prepare for the worst-case scenario for Marce, which brings strong winds with light to moderate rains in some parts of Northern Luzon.
“Continuous meeting with local authorities is being conducted to ensure that we are ready for the worst-case scenario,” Villa said, noting that predictive analysis is being used to determine areas most likely to get affected by flash floods and landslides and those that need to carry out pre-emptive evacuation.
He said with the help of the Department of Social Welfare and Development and uniformed personnel, sufficient food and non-food items have been pre-positioned in strategic areas in Cagayan and Batanes while response teams from outside the region have been readied to be deployed.
He called on residents to heed the instructions of their local government units and conduct pre-emptive evacuation in high-risk areas.
“Let us take this time to conduct pre-emptive evacuation to safer locations because it would be harder for us to implement rescue operations during the evening,” he said.
After a risk assessment meeting with the City Risk Reduction and Management Council in Tuguegarao City, Mayor Maila Ting-Que advised residents in low-lying areas to stay vigilant as the Cagayan River neared alert level on Wednesday morning.
As of 11 a.m., Marce has intensified with maximum sustained winds of 150 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 185 kph.
“We are hoping it will not directly hit the city,” Ting-Quesaid, urging residents to take proactive measures to mitigate the effects of heavy to intense rainfall expected in Cagayan in the next 24 hours.
Water level monitored from one of the country’s longest bridges, the Buntun Bridge that connects the provinces of Cagayan and Apayao, was already at 3.7 meters by Wednesday noon and continued to rise as of this posting.
Disaster risk officials warned of flash floods and issued notices of evacuation, urging families to prioritize their safety.
Evacuation centers have been prepared.
The alert level for the water is set at 4 meters, the warning level at 8 meters, and the critical level at 11 meters.
Due to a storm surge warning, fishermen in Calayan Island were seen securing their boats to safer land sites while glass windows of government buildings were boarded up to protect them from strong winds. (PNA)
