SAN PEDRO CITY –– Several local governments in the Southern Tagalog region on Tuesday warned its residents in coastal and high-risk areas as Tropical Storm “Ulysses” (international name: Vamco) is seen moving towards the similar path that recent typhoons took.
In Batangas City, the local government told residents in landslide-prone areas and riverbanks to prepare for a possible forced evacuation. Fishermen were also told to secure their fishing boats on a higher ground safe from storm surges.
Lito Castro, the provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) officer, in a phone interview, said they were keeping an eye on almost the same areas hit by the previous typhoons “Quinta” (Molave) and “Rolly” (Goni).
Among them were Batangas City, Lobo, Bauan, and Mabini.
The Batangas City government also began clearing and declogging a creek in Barangay Pallocan West that overflowed and inundated in a three-meter deep flood the nearby Tierra Verde subdivision during Typhoon Rolly.
Liquor ban
Other than Batangas, Alex Masiglat, information officer of the DRRM-Calabarzon, said they were particularly monitoring parts of Quezon province, where a Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) 1 was already hoisted.
“We also (issued a) policy recommendation (to local governments) to impose a liquor ban once or until the TCWS is up,” Masiglat said.
“This is because, during the previous typhoons, most of (the region’s) casualties turned out to be under the influence (of alcohol),” he added.
Wash areas
Masiglat said local governments were encouraged to use public schools as typhoon evacuation centers and to install more handwashing areas since the individual classrooms provide higher chances to ensure physical distancing amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“We’ve monitored instances (during Quinta and Rolly) when physical distancing protocols were breached at evacuation centers,” he said.
In Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan region, preparations were also underway, said regional DRRM information officer Efril Maranan.
“Based on the latest forecast path and unless it changes its (course), the typhoon might cross through the western (part) of Calapan (city, Oriental Mindoro) again,” Maranan said.