CENTRAL Visayas may be placed under Signal No. 1 on Wednesday morning, Dec. 15, 2021, as tropical cyclone Odette (international name: Rai) was expected to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) Tuesday evening.
Odette’s main path will affect southern Cebu, but it will not make landfall in the area. It was expected to make landfall in the vicinity of Caraga or Eastern Visayas by Thursday afternoon or evening, Dec. 16.
“Any part of Cebu or Region 7 should brace itself by implementing precautionary measures once the typhoon hits. We are also expecting to reach Signal No. 3 because it’s a typhoon category by Wednesday evening or Thursday morning,” said engineer Al Quiblat Jr., chief of Visayas-Pagasa Regional Services Division.
Before it entered PAR, Odette had already become a severe tropical storm, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration reported.
Some local governments in Central Visayas have prepared for Odette as early as Sunday, Dec. 12 like the Cebu City Government.
Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia issued a memorandum on Tuesday, Dec. 14, enjoining all mayors in the province to take all necessary precautions and preparations for Odette, which is expected to reach Cebu on Friday, Dec. 17.
Suspension of work and other measures may be implemented by the local chief executive as the need arises, Garcia said.
Quiblat lauded the preparation of the local government units in Central Visayas. He said the public should also prepare by listening to their Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices and local executives, trimming nearby trees and pulling down billboards.
Residents in coastal areas must prepare for evacuation since storm surges are possible, Quiblat added.
The Pagasa official also said fisherfolk must not set out to sea and persons who had planned sea trips must reschedule them to avoid getting stranded.
Mayor Paz Rozgoni of Moalboal, a town in southwestern Cebu, has urged her constituents to prepare for Odette and warned residents near the sea and river to monitor their neighborhood. She urged them to secure their belongings first if they decide to evacuate.
The Police Regional Office Central Visayas (PRO 7) and the Cebu City Police Office have also braced for Odette—the CCPO has ordered all its personnel to be on standby as it raised its status to full alert, while the PRO 7 has prepared its 243-member search and rescue teams that will be deployed to any parts of the region that need help.
Vax drive postponed
Due to the threat of Odette, the national government has moved the implementation of the second round of the National Vaccination Days (NVD) from Dec. 15-17 to Dec. 20-22 in 11 regions.
In Central Visayas, NVD is postponed in the provinces of Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental and Siquijor.
The other provinces that will not hold a vaccination drive are Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Gumaras, Iloilo and Negros Occidental in Western Visayas; and Biliran, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Northern Samar, Samar and Southern Leyte in Eastern Visayas.
In Luzon, NVD is postponed in Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Masbate and Sorsogon in Bicol; and Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan in Mimaropa.
The most number of provinces where the national vaccination drive is postponed is in Mindanao: Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga Sibugay in Zamboanga Peninsula; Bukidnon, Camiguin, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental and Misamis Oriental in Northern Mindanao.
The other Mindanao provinces are Davao de Oro, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Occidental and Davao Oriental in Davao Region; Cotabato, Saranggani, South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat in Soccsksargen; Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Island, Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur in Caraga; and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
NVD in other areas that are far from being affected by Odette will push through on Dec. 15-17. (JOB, TPM, AYB, ANV / SUNSTAR PHILIPPINES)