Coast Guard grounds sea vessels in Northern Samar due to ‘Ulysses’; 88 passengers stranded

TACLOBAN CITY –– At least 88 passengers bound for Luzon were stranded at the three sea terminals in Allen town, Northern Samar after the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) grounded sea vessels in the province due to Tropical Storm “Ulysses.”

Lt. Commander Paterno Belarmino, Jr., head of the PCG in Northern Samar, said the no-sail policy took effect at 9 a.m. on Tuesday after the province was placed under tropical cyclone wind signal 1.

Rei Josiah Echano, provincial disaster risk reduction management officer of Northern Samar, said they have activated their emergency operation center for any eventuality.

“We’ll do pre-disaster risk assessment later to chart our emergency response tactics,” he said.

The regional office of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), issued an advisory that all major roads and bridges in Eastern Visayas remained passable.

The maintenance crew and equipment of all district offices of the DPWH-8 were ready for any untoward incidents.

ZB