Classes from kindergarten to high school in Bacolod City are suspended today as storm signal number 2 was hoisted over Negros Occidental, Acting Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson said last night.
Bacolod City falls within the path of typhoon “Pablo” if it stays its course upon hitting landfall in Surigao del Sur on its way to Palawan.
Sayson convened the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council yesterday afternoon in line with the directive of Mayor Evelio Leonardia.
He said rescue teams assigned to different areas of responsibility will coordinate with Joemarie Vargas, head of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.
Police Stations 1 to 10 will serve as coordinating centers of the barangays under their areas of responsibility, he added.
Vargas said the DRRMO is on alert level and their response team and flood control team will be monitoring the situation 24/7. He said they have advised all barangay captains and police stations to prepare for the typhoon.
READY FOR ‘PABLO'
Sayson said the city is ready for “Pablo” and they expect the rains to fall tomorrow afternoon although they are also praying that the storm will dissipate.
The Department of Social Services and Development has already procured rice stocks from the National Food Authority, as well as food items that will be delivered today in preparation for any eventuality, he said.
Vargas called on all barangay councils in the 61 barangays to activate their disaster committees to prepare for the incoming typhoon. He said they expect all coastal barangays to suffer from storm surge and these will be their areas of concern at the height of the typhoon.
Sayson asked residents living in areas declared as danger zones to evacuate their homes if they are ordered to do so. They do not want to endanger the lives of the residents and rescuers, he said.
City Administrator John Orola Jr. also appealed to concerned residents, especially those in the riverbanks, to heed their warning because if the threat becomes really imminent, they will be forced out of their homes for their own protection.
QUICK RESPONSE TEAMS
Vargas said the quick response teams of Central Negros Electric Cooperative, Bacolod Water District, and the rescue groups are now in place, including evacuation centers in different public schools in the city.
He said their emergency numbers are (034) 117 for Smart, 117 for PLDT and (034) 432-3871 for Globe or Sun users. The DRRMO numbers are 432-3879 and 709-1633, he said.
Sayson also assured there are enough relief goods on standby for distribution for those affected by the typhoon.
The meeting yesterday was attended by Vargas; Councilors Mona Dia Jardin and Em Ang; acting DSSD head Sally Abelarde, Bacolod police director Senior Supt. Ricardo de la Paz, and representatives of the Red Cross, Coast Guard and rescue groups.*CGS
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