Know the latest on Tropical Depression Kabayan through our LIVE UPDATES
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
ILIGAN CITY — Just weeks after being hit by strong earthquakes, Surigao del Sur is now bracing for the coming of tropical depression Kabayan, with rains and winds have started to affect the province on Sunday.
Surigao del Sur Gov. Alexander Pimentel has placed the entire province under heightened alert and ordered the ramping up of disaster preparations to achieve zero casualty as Kabayan is expected to hit land Sunday night or early Monday morning, per projection of the state weather bureau.
Pimentel authorized disaster personnel to implement forced evacuation of residents living in areas prone to flood, landslide and storm surge.
He also ordered the suspension of work in government and private offices throughout the province on Monday.
In Cagayan de Oro City, Mayor Rolando Uy ordered the activation of the Incident Management Team (IMT) after the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Department (CDRRMD) determined the city’s high risk of being impacted by the tropical depression which comes almost exactly 11 years after the weak but rain-heavy Typhoon Sendong that devastated a big portion of its riverside communities.
READ: Kabayan maintains strength, may cause heavy rainfall in Southern Luzon
All CDRRMD teams are placed on standby after Uy had declared a red alert status. The barangay disaster response teams have also been alerted. Based on latest tracking by Pagasa, the tropical depression would hit the city dawn to early morning of Monday.
As of Sunday, Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental are on signal no. 1. On Sunday, the Northern Mindanao Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council has raised a red alert status throughout the region effective 8 p.m. on Sunday due to the expected onslaught of Kabayan.
The Coast Guard station suspended the voyage of vessels in Surigao del Sur on Sunday.