PDRRMC Ilocos Sur raises ‘red alert’ for Pepito, orders preemptive evacuations

VIGAN CITY, Ilocos Sur (PIA) – The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) in Ilocos Sur raised its alert status from blue to red on Sunday, November 17, in view of the possible adverse effects of Typhoon Pepito.

Red alert activates all response clusters and mandates PDRRMC personnel to be on duty 24/7 to respond to any situation caused by the typhoon, according to PDRRM Officer Rhon Arquelada.

He said, “Nag-conduct tayo ng Pre-Disaster Risk Assessment (PDRA) kahapon and emergency meeting ngayon. We raised iyong ‘blue alert’ status into ‘red alert status’ kaya lahat ng response cluster natin ay naka-activate na rito sa Ilocos Sur Emergency Operations Center (EOC). Pagdating naman sa preparation, iyong mga search, rescue, and retrieval personnel ay naka-activate na, nandito na sila lahat sa EOC and ready to be deployed kapag kailangan at pagdating sa mga equipment at vehicle, mapa-land, o water asset natin ay well-maintained and ready to be deployed.”

(We conducted a Pre-Disaster Risk Assessment (PDRA) yesterday and held an emergency meeting today. As a result, we have raised the alert status from ‘blue’ to ‘red,’ activating all our response clusters at the Ilocos Sur EOC. Regarding preparations, our search, rescue, and retrieval personnel have been activated and are currently at the EOC, ready for deployment when needed. Additionally, all equipment and vehicles—land and water assets—are well-maintained and prepared for use.)

Governor Jeremias Singson also ordered all local government units (LGU) affected by the typhoon to carry out preemptive evacuations immediately.

As of 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, 91 individuals from Barangay Mindoro in Vigan City and 452 individuals in Tagudin town evacuated at the city and municipal evacuation centers.  

Arquelada added, “Mayroon tayong mga stockpile rito na family food packs (FFPs), nasa over 800 FFPs while sleeping at hygiene kit ay nasa 700; mayroon din tayong 1,000 na sacks of rice na galing sa Office of Civil Defense (OCD).”

(We have stockpiles here of FFPs, with over 800 FFPs and hygiene kits at around 700, and we also have 1,000 sacks of rice from OCD.)

He then urged the residents of Ilocos Sur to closely monitor the typhoon’s path, be aware of the potential hazards it may bring, and stay updated on warnings about heavy rains and strong winds from reliable sources such as the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) and other official government social media pages.

“Kapag may abiso ang gobyerno sa mga high-risk areas, agad-agad sana nating sundin. Huwag na nating hintayin na bumaha pa o may mangyaring [masama] sa ating lugar bago pa mag-evacuate. Habang maaga at medyo okay pa ang panahon ay mag-evacuate na po tayo,” he ended.

(When the government issues a warning for high-risk areas, we should act immediately. We shouldn’t wait for the floods to arrive or for something negative to occur before evacuating. While the weather is still relatively calm, let’s evacuate when possible.) 

The southern portion of Ilocos Sur or the city of Candon and the municipalities of Alilem, Sugpon, Suyo, Santa Cruz, Tagudin, Santa Lucia, Salcedo, Galimuyod, Cervantes, and Sigay are under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) No. 4, while the rest of the province is under TCWS No. 3, according to the Tropical Cyclone Bulletin of PAGASA issued at 11:00 p.m. of Sunday. (AMB/JMCQ, PIA Ilocos Sur)


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