Camarines Norte on ‘red alert’ due to bad weather

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

LEGAZPI CITY – Camarines Norte placed its emergency operations center on “red alert” status on Saturday due to heavy rains brought by a shear line.

In a memorandum, Governor Ricarte Padilla ordered the response cluster agencies and emergency operations centers to operate 24/7 to monitor their areas of responsibility.

Padilla also advised local officials to implement localized suspension of work and classes, and pre-emptive evacuation of residents in high-risk areas.

A no-sailing policy was also ordered due to the gale warning.

Santiago Mella, Jr., head of the municipal disaster risk reduction and management office (MDRRMO) of Daet, said in a private chat message that classes at all levels in public and private schools were suspended due to heavy rains since early Saturday.

In Basud town, MDRRMO said the spillway in Barangay (village) of San Jose was rendered impassable as of 8 a.m. due to an overflowing river.

Another spillway connecting the villages of Tuaca and Barangay San Pascual was also flooded but still passable.

At 11 a.m., the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) issued a red rainfall warning in the said province where severe flooding and landslides were expected.

Pagasa also issued a yellow rainfall warning in the provinces of Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Sorsogon, Masbate, Northern Samar, Marinduque, Romblon, and Oriental Mindoro for possible flooding in low-lying areas and near river channels.

READ: Fair weather in Luzon, rainy Tuesday in parts of VisMin due to shear line — Pagasa