OFFICIALS of the Visayas State University (VSU) in Baybay City, Leyte assigned 16 evacuation centers for students and community residents amid the torrential rains brought by Tropical Storm Paeng on Friday, October 28, 2022.

“I’m encouraging everyone to practice all safety measures necessary to ensure the security of all Viscans. We have our Crisis Management Committee (CMC) and other disaster mitigation units on standby, but we need the cooperation of all of you in protecting the welfare of our constituents,” said University President Edgardo Tulin.

“Please make sure to have your emergency kits ready all the time and prepare food and other essentials for any eventuality,” he added.

The university announced that it would accept evacuees from nearby Barangays of Pangasugan, Guadalupe and Gabas, especially residents dwelling near the sea and other waterways.

Dr. Ulderico Alviola, the head of the University Integrated Media Center (UIMC), added that students residing in on-campus dormitories have options to go home or stay in the designated evacuation centers.

The 16 evacuation centers open for community residents are the Department of Horticulture (DoH) Building, Eco-Farmi Building, Ovprei-RDE Hall, PhilRootcrops Complex, Engineering Building Complex, Regional Climate Change Research and Development Center (RCCRDC), Advanced Research Innovation Center (Aric) Building, ADE/CME Building, new VSU Library Building, VSU Gymnatorium, Department of Liberal Arts and Behavioral Sciences (Dlabs) Building, ODS Complex, College of Nursing Building, old VSU Library Building, College of Forestry and Environmental Science Building, and Department of Consumer and Hospitality Management (DCHM) Building.

As of Friday, the state weather bureau placed the entire Leyte province under Signal Number 1. (SunStar Philippines)