THE Iloilo City Government has activated the Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction Management (BDRRM) Operations Center (OpCen) due to Typhoon Ompong (Mangkhut).

Mayor Jose Espinosa III issued a memorandum for the BDRRM OpCen's activation in preparation for Ompong, which entered the Philippine area of responsibility around 3 p.m. Wednesday, September 12.

The typhoon, the 15th this year, is expected to be one of the strongest tropical cyclones to have hit the country. The state weather bureau said that starting Thursday, September 13, the typhoon will strengthen the southwest monsoon (habagat), which will bring scattered light to moderate rains and thunderstorms over Western Visayas.

With this, the BDRRMCs have been instructed to coordinate with the barangay OpCen and submit a situational report to the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC) for weather updates and conditions.

On Tuesday, September 11, the CDRRMC conducted a pre-disaster risk assessment to intensify its preparation. (SunStar Philippines)