AUTHORITIES in Eastern Visayas have activated all disaster incident management task groups in every local government unit and suspended the land travel coming to and from Luzon and Mindanao effective Tuesday, December 14, 2021, as preemptive measures due to the possible impact of Severe Tropical Storm Rai (Odette).
The travel suspension will not apply to those who are already in transit on the period of issuance of the announcement, according to the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (RDRRMC).
But sea travels will continue until competent authorities will issue a suspension.
RDRRMC’s move is to “prevent unwanted movement, surge and build-up” of vehicles and travelers in terminals and RoRo (roll on-roll off) ports that might get stranded due to possible cancellation of sea trips with the expected unfavorable weather condition.
According to RDRRMC, the land travel cancellation will not affect the local land trips in Eastern Visayas.
The Police Regional Office-Eastern Visayas also readied 1,581 police personnel on standby alert for the Search, Rescue, and Retrieval (SRR) purposes and 666 personnel as the Reactionary Standby Support Force (RSSF).
“Let us all be ready and prepared anytime. I appeal to the public to be mindful of the warnings by Pagasa and cooperate with the evacuation if necessary,” said Brigadier General Rommel Bernardo Cabagnot.
Force multipliers, especially the Barangay Peace Keeping Action Teams, were already mobilized in every municipality of the region.
Karen Tiopes, regional tourism director, also directed its industry partners “to take following precautionary measures to ensure the safety of lives and security of property.”
“Advice guests to refrain from doing the following activities prior to landfall and after such time when Pagasa or the local DRRMC declares it safe,” she said.
These include all types of water-based activities but not limited to boating, island visits, swimming, diving, snorkeling, surfing, skim boarding, kayaking, jet skiing, river rafting; and all types of outdoor/adventure activities to include, but not limited to trekking, mountain climbing, caving, zip line ride, bouldering.
Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez has also laid out its emergency plan regarding the looming bad weather condition.
“Don’t panic. Pray but we need to prepare and take necessary precautionary measures. May God protect us all,” added Tacloban Vice Mayor Jerry Yaokasin.
In Maasin City, Mayor Nacional Mercado convened with the concerned head of offices, together with all the partner agencies for the pre-disaster risk assessment.
“We are requesting everyone to undertake necessary precautions for the incoming weather disturbance. Let us all be vigilant always,” Mercado said.
The state weather bureau said the Rai is still outside the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) as of Tuesday afternoon. It will be named as Odette once it enters PAR.
The severe tropical storm has maximum sustained winds at 100 kilometers per hour (kp/h), gusts of up to 12k kp/h, and is moving west-northwestward at 25 kp/h. (SunStar Philippines)