MANILA, 22 November 2007 — Thousands of people in eastern provinces of the country were told to evacuate their homes yesterday as weather forecasters warned of a coming strong typhoon.
Anthony Golez, spokesman of the National Disaster Coordinating Council, said President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ordered the evacuation of residents in coastal areas and mountain slopes in the eastern region of Bicol.
Golez said some 40,000 families would be covered by the evacuation order in the provinces of Catanduanes, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Albay, Sorsogon and Masbate.
Last year more than 1,000 people were killed and thousands more were displaced when continuous heavy rains triggered mudslides on the slope of Mayon Volcano in Albay province, 330 kilometers south-east of Manila.
“The president wants to ensure zero casualties,” Golez said, in explaining the evacuation order.
Arroyo was in Singapore attending the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, but she return to Manila later in the day.
Earlier in the week, 11 people were killed in landslides and flash floods due to days of heavy rains brought by tropical storm Lando, which exited the Philippines on Tuesday.
All classes in public and private schools were suspended in one province in the Bicol region southeast of Manila, where Tropical Storm Mitag was forecast to make landfall later this week. Mitag, packing sustained winds of 85 kilometers (53 miles) per hour with gusts of up to 100 kph (63 mph), is approaching from the Philippine Sea, east of the country.
Chief government forecaster Nathaniel Cruz said it could became a “super typhoon” with winds of more than 220 kph (138 mph) when it makes landfall as early as Friday.
“It’s still far, and that means we still have time to conduct preparedness,” Cruz said. “With two days in the open sea, it has a big potential to become a very strong typhoon.”
Recent rains have saturated the ground around Mayon volcano the in Bicol region, and Arroyo was worried there could be a repeat of last year’s landslides and flashfloods that killed more than 1,000 people, said Golez, who is deputy director of the Office of Civil Defense.
Gov. Joey Salceda of Albay province, where last year’s typhoon unleashed tons of volcanic debris that wiped out entire villages, said schools may be used as temporary shelters.
The same communities devastated last year were again flooded by rains from an earlier storm and one wooden bridge connecting two villages in Daraga township was washed away, local officials said.
In neighboring Sorsogon province, radio announcements advised officials, community leaders and the public to prepare to evacuate, provincial disaster officer Noel Pura said.
Golez said Arroyo issued the evacuation order from Singapore, where she was attending a summit of Asian leaders.
“All these are precautionary measures of the president because she hates to see when she returns any untoward incident because of the typhoon,” he said.
The Department of Public Works and Highways announced the closure of national roads in the northern Cordillera region due to incessant rains and flooding.
As of 3 p.m. yesterday, Saltan Bridge along Calanan-Pinukpuk-Abbut Road in Kalinga province and the Banaue-Mayoyao-Aguinaldo-Alfonso-Lista Road in Ifugao were closed to motorists due to mudslides.
The Sta. Maria Bridge along Cabangan-Sta. Amria Road in Cagayan Valley Region was also closed due to heavy flooding, said the DPWH.
On the other hand, recurring landslides in the Bicol Region’s Paraiso and Binagasbaan Road Section of Catanduanes led to closure of the thoroughfare.
The DPWH also announced the closure of barangay Mahayahay along Misamis Oriental-Ma. Cristina Boundary Road and Tubod RCDG Bridge 1 and 2 along Misamis Oriental-Ma. Cristina Boundary Road in Lanao del Norte due to flooding.
“DPWH Regional Office has already deployed heavy equipment and maintenance crew to conduct clearing and repair works in the damaged road sections,” DPWH Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane said in a statement.
He added that warning signs have been installed on both ends of the affected road sections to inform incoming motorists.
