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DISASTER-mitigation teams have started evacuating 10,000
families comprising of 50,000 people from high-risk
areas in Albay to minimize, if not prevent, casualties
from Typhoon Mina.
Administrator Glenn Rabonza of the Office of Civil
Defense (OCD) and concurrent executive director of the
National Disaster Coordinating Council said the
evacuation is ongoing and will continue until Friday and
Saturday.
“This
will not be completed in several hours. We suppose [it
will continue] up to tomorrow . . . even maybe on
Saturday we will still see people evacuating,” Rabonza
said.
He said
Bicol is experiencing light to moderate rains brought by
Mina, which is coming after Tropical Storm Lando, that
left 13 people dead, 10 injured and damage to property
amounting to more than P146 million.
Bernardo
Alejandro, regional director of OCD in Bicol, reported
that the evacuation started as early as Wednesday
afternoon. As of 11 a.m. Thursday, he said that at least
528 families, or 2,195 persons, were already housed in
evacuation centers.
He said
the evacuees are from the towns of Camalig, Santo
Domingo and Bacacay, which are near Mayon Volcano, and
Tiwi, which is near the river basin.
Alejandro said evacuation was due to commence in other
high-risk areas in the region Thursday afternoon.
“These
are towns or barangays which are high-risk, around Mayon
Volcano. . .the evacuation is being prioritized in the
lahar-prone areas,” he said.
Alejandro said disaster-mitigation teams are eyeing to
evacuate over 150,000 more people in Albay, depending on
the track of the typhoon. He also said evacuation may
also be carried out in low-lying areas in Camarines Sur,
and Camarines Norte, but this needs the approval of
local officials.
As of 10
a.m. on Thursday, Typhoon Mina, which has maximum
sustained winds of 120 kilometers per hour near the
center and gustiness of up to 15 kph, was 490 km east of
Virac, Catanduanes. On Friday it will be at 180 km east
of Virac and on Saturday, it will be 40 km east of Daet,
Camarines Norte, and would be at 60 km west of Tayabas,
Quezon.
Storm
Signal No. 2 has been raised over Catanduanes. Storm
Signal No. 1 has been raised over Sorsogon, Albay,
Camarines Norte, Camaries Sur and Quezon, including
Polilio Island.
The
Department of Education on Thursday said parents will
decide on whether to let their children go to school or
not if heavy rains occur.
However,
this is only for Friday, Education Secretary Jesli Lapus
said, as Typhoon Mina is threatening the country.
Lapus
said that parents should monitor radio or early-morning
television programs for weather updates and possible
class suspensions.
While
local governments may also suspend classes, parents
should decide for themselves if they would let their
children go to school if there is persistent rain, Lapus
said.
The Cebu
City Council, meanwhile, gave city planners two weeks to
come up with proposed revisions to a drainage master
plan, which has already been in the works for almost
three years.
Vice
Mayor Michael Rama ordered the city planning and
development officer, Nigel Paul Villarete, to come up
with a report that would include the concerns and
recommendations of barangay and city officials to the
draft report of private consultants who drafted the
plan.
“There
had been recommendations, but until now there is no
report to the city council,” Rama said.
City
planners went to the council to have the master plan
endorsed, but were turned down.
Councilor Nestor Archival said that if the council
formally accepts the plan, the council is in a way
approving the recommendations of the master plan.
“We
should ask the city planning office to submit in two
weeks a report that already includes the recommendations
and concerns raised by the council and the barangays,”
he said.
The city
government paid P16.4 million to a joint venture of
Genson-TCGI Engineers-Woodfields-Spaces to make the
master plan. The report of the consultants in 2006 said
the city must spend P600 million in 15 years to build a
coordinated and affective flood-control plan. (With C.
Mocon, J. Mayuga and W. Rodolfo III) |
