Photo from PNP Police Regional Office 2 PIO
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Thursday said it deployed 4,908 police officers in response to the threat posed by Super Typhoon Ofel (International name: Usagi).
In a press briefing on Thursday, PNP Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo said the officers were deployed in the Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and Bicol regions.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) earlier told INQUIRER.net that Ofel was expected to make landfall near Cagayan by Thursday afternoon.
On Thursday morning, Pagasa raised Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 5 over the northeastern portion of mainland Cagayan.
In addition to the deployed officers, the PNP has 3,503 personnel on standby in its Reactionary Standby Support Force in the Bicol region, Central Luzon, Calabarzon and Cagayan Valley, Fajardo said.
PNP data showed that 8,890 families or 30,089 individuals were preemptively evacuated for their safety.
Photo from PNP Police Regional Office 2 PIO
According to Fajardo, Police Regional Office 2 Director Brig. Gen. Antonio Marallag started preemptive evacuations in Cagayan Valley, with 153 families or 480 individuals brought to safer locations.
The PNP also reported that it rescued 494 individuals and conducted five search, rescue, and retrieval operations.
Ofel is the third tropical cyclone to affect Luzon this November, following Typhoons Nika (International name: Toraji) and Marce (Yinxing).
Ofel was last spotted over the coast of Divilacan, Isabela with maximum sustained winds of 185 kilometers per hour and a gustiness of 230 kph, according to Pagasa.
This rapid succession of typhoons comes in the wake of Typhoon Leon (Kong-rey) and Severe Tropical Storm Kristine (Trami), both of which also impacted the island region late last October.
When asked about the police force’s response to the consecutive cyclones, Fajardo said, “Hindi tayo pwedeng mapagod.”
(We cannot afford to be exhausted.)