Disaster shield: Policemen helping residents reinforce the roof of their homes in Ivana town, Batanes province. — AFP
OFFICIALS began evacuating thousands of villagers, shut down schools and offices and imposed a no-sail ban as Typhoon Mawar approached the country’s northern provinces a week after battering the US territory of Guam.
The typhoon is packing maximum sustained winds of 155kph and gusts of up to 190kph but is forecast to spare the mountainous region a direct hit. Current projections show the typhoon veering northeast toward Taiwan or southern Japan.
Although it’s expected to slow down considerably, authorities warned of dangerous tidal surges, flash floods and landslides as it blows past the northernmost province of Batanes from today.
Disaster-preparedness officials said the typhoon’s course could change abruptly and there was no room for complacency.
“Even if the sun is up, the weather is so unpredictable nowadays and could change anytime so we should always stay on the side of safety,” Assistant Secretary Raffy Alejandro of the Office of Civil Defence said.
“We’re talking here of potential threats to lives.”
Mawar tore through Guam last week as the strongest typhoon to hit the US Pacific territory in two decades, flipping cars, tearing off roofs and knocking down power.
“These typhoons, earthquakes and natural calamities have been a part of our lives,” Batanes vice-governor Ignacio Villa said by telephone.
“We cannot afford not to prepare because that would potentially mean the loss of lives and major damage.”
Army troops, police, firefighters and volunteer groups are standing by for search and rescue operations in northern provinces and more than a million food packs have been prepared, officials said.
More than 4,800 people have been evacuated to emergency shelters in Cagayan, Batanes and other provinces, Alejandro said.
He added that the number of the displaced is expected to rise given the precautionary evacuations that were underway yesterday in flood and landslide-prone regions.
Classes and office work, except those involved in disaster-preparedness, have been suspended in most of Cagayan and Batanes provinces, where occasional downpours and gusty wind were reported on Sunday night.
Flights to and from the provinces have been cancelled and fishing and passenger vessels prohibited from sailing.
In at least one province, officials imposed a liquor ban.
Villa said the local government lent ropes to villagers living in high-risk communities to strengthen their houses as the typhoon approached. — AP
