ILOILO CITY – – The Office of Civil Defense in Western Visayas (OCD-6) has warned the public to be prepared for typhoons as rainy season starts.
In a media interview Monday, Ma. Aletha Nogra, officer-in-charge of OCD-6, said the third to fourth quarter of the year is considered as “typhoon season” for region six.
“We should continue to monitor for the incoming typhoons because we really experience them during this time,” she said.
Nogra said they are particularly focusing on the western section of Panay island, noting typhoon “Frank” hit the region in June 21, 2008.
She said all the local disaster risk reduction management councils (LDRRMCs) in the region should intensify their information and education campaign since they have already identified high-risk areas in their respective jurisdictions.
She said the public should be well-informed of when they need to evacuate, where are the identified evacuation centers located, as well as the things they need to bring during evacuation.
“Our authority is to facilitate to ensure that there is at least zero casualty,” she said. “We advocate that we should be resilient and we should strengthen our preparedness, prevention, and mitigation to overcome the challenges,” she added.
Meantime, Nogra said tropical storm “Domeng,” which left the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) Sunday morning, has no significant effects in the region.
She revealed that cargo vessels, with 58 passengers that were stranded on Sunday at Caticlan Port in Aklan, were immediately allowed to travel when the weather became manageable and the sea was safe for travel.
There were also some three damaged houses in Talisay City, Negros Occidental. These houses, which were made up of light materials, were damaged by strong winds and rain, she said.
Based on the latest weather forecast, the region is experiencing cloudy skies with light to moderate rains and isolated thunderstorms due southwest monsoon. Inclement weather is expected until 6 a.m. of June 12, Tuesday. (Cindy Ferrer/PNA)
