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TROPICAL Depression “Vicky” dumped rain across most of the country on Saturday, causing flooding that initially affected more than 1,000 people in the worst-hit Mindanao and prompting the government to abandon its brief reprieve from previous typhoons to redeploy. . your response to the disaster.
Vicky made landfall in Davao Oriental and Surigao del Sur on Friday and, as of press time, was forecast to cross the northern or central part of Palawan on Saturday night, according to the 5 p.m. bulletin from the Atmospheric Services Administration. , Geophysicists and Astronomers of the Philippines. (Pay).
A total of 338 families or 1,525 people from 13 villages in northern Mindanao, the Davao region and Caraga were housed in nine evacuation centers, the National Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported on Saturday.
The head of the NDRRMC, Undersecretary Ricardo Jalad, ordered the local government units (LGU) to prepare, as they recorded nine flood incidents in Surigao del Sur and Agusan del Sur and a landslide in the city of Bislig in Surigao del Sur.
So far, there have been no casualties in the affected areas, the NDRRMC said.
Apart from Vicky, Jalad said there were other weather systems in the country such as the northeast monsoon (known locally as “Amihan”) and the end of a frontal system.
The NDRRMC said it was issuing regular rain warnings via mobile text alerts to various locations.
“LGU’s preparedness is key to ensuring public safety against the threat of natural hazards, such as floods and landslides,” Jalad said in a statement.
Based on the Oplan Listo Manual of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the LGUs of the communities in the plains and banks of the Cagayán River and its tributaries, the Agusan River to the city of Butuan and the river systems of the Bicol region must make the necessary preparations, said Jalad.
In a statement, Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said the government prepared funds and relief supplies for Vicky’s victims and asked the public to be vigilant.
Roque said that President Rodrigo Duterte “continues to monitor tropical depression Vicky while concerned government agencies help the areas that are in its path and provide rescue and relief operations to affected residents.”
“We ask the public, especially those living in the affected areas, to remain calm, be vigilant, and be ready to evacuate in case local authorities advise them to do so. Periodically monitor government advisories and weather updates for more information, ”he added.
As of December 18, 2020 at 6pm, Roque said that the central office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the field offices and the National Resource Operations Center have reserves and reserve funds amounting to P778 million , including a total of 230,191 family food packages.
He said the Department of Health, the Department of Public Works and Roads and the Philippine National Police have pre-arranged medical supplies, equipment for clean-up operations and 1,590 search and rescue personnel.
Vice President María Leonor “Leni” Robredo responded to Internet users’ inquiries by giving updates on social networks through her trend #NasaanAngBisePresidente (Where is the Vice President?).
Speaking in Filipino, Robredo said his office was ready to coordinate with the authorities in the affected areas and asked for prayers for the residents of Surigao del Sur and Agusan del Sur. She posted her appeal on her Facebook page along with a photo of a meme of a netizen searching for her.
Duterte had criticized the vice president for alleged “bombast” and “competition” in relief efforts. Robredo and the opposition were also accused of allegedly starting the hashtag #NasaanAngPangulo (Where is the president) which was a trend at the height of typhoon “Ulises” (international name: “Vamco”). Robredo had denied these accusations.
Storm signs
The No. 1 signal remained high in parts of Luzon and declined in Visayas and Mindanao as Vicky was forecast to leave the Philippines Area of Responsibility today, Sunday, Pagasa said.
Pagasa said Saturday that Vicky generally moved west-northwest over the Sulu Sea and was expected to intensify into a tropical storm once it reached the Western Philippine Sea.
However, it is forecast to remain a tropical depression as it crosses the Philippine archipelago, according to Pagasa.
The tropical depression was 135 kilometers east-southeast of the city of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, and moved west-northwest at a speed of 15 kilometers per hour (kph) on Saturday. It carried maximum sustained winds of 45 km / h near the center and gusts of up to 55 km / h.
Moderate to heavy rains, sometimes intense, were experienced in the Bicol, Isabela, Aurora, Laguna, Rizal, Quezón, Marinduque and Palawan regions, including the Calamian, Cuyo and Cagayancillo islands.
Light to moderate rains, sometimes heavy, were experienced in Metro Manila, Visayas, Apayao, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Ifugao, and the rest of the mainland Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) Mimaroopa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan) and Cordillera Administrative Region.
Pagasa said heavy to heavy rains were felt in the Bicol, Quezón, Aurora, Isabela, Quirino and Nueva Vizcaya Region, while moderate to heavy rains, sometimes intense, were experienced in Apayao, Kalinga, Mountain Province. , Ifugao, Oriental Mindoro, Kalayaan Islands and the rest of the Cagayan continental valley.
With reports from CATHERINE S. VALENTE and DIVINA NOVA JOY DELA CRUZ
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