Quezon Gov. Helen Tan during her stint at the House of Representatives. FILE PHOTO / Sreengrab from HoR livestreaming
LUCENA CITY – Quezon Governor Angelina Tan on Saturday ordered the evacuation of residents residing in coastal areas in the province to keep them out of harm’s way in case of storm surge that may be caused by Super Typhoon Pepito (international name: Man-yi).
READ: LIVE UPDATES: Typhoon Pepito
“For those living near the coast, please evacuate temporarily and head to the evacuation centers designated by the LGUs (local government units). Stay alert, stay safe, and be prepared,” Tan said in a post on her Facebook post around 2 p.m.
READ: Pepito to bring intense rain in Bicol, heavy in other areas until Sunday
Tan noted that storm surges were happening across the Bicol region due to Pepito.
“This could also occur in areas of Quezon, based on Pagasa’s storm surge warning,” Tan emphasized.
READ: Signal No. 5 up in Catanduanes as Pepito set to make landfall
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration warned of “life-threatening storm surge” with heights of 2.1 to three meters in the coastal localities of Isabela, Aurora, Batangas, Quezon, Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Sorsogon, Eastern Samar, and Northern Samar.
Reports of storm surge and flooding in some towns of Albay and Catanduanes surfaced on Saturday morning with several videos of the event circulating on social media.
On Friday, November 15, Tan ordered the implementation of pre-emptive and forced evacuation in towns near areas at risk of flooding, landslides, and storm surges that may be caused by Pepito.
Quezon province is under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 2.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) suspended sea travel of all vessels/watercraft in the provinces of Quezon, Marinduque, Romblon, Occidental Mindoro and Oriental Mindoro due to Pepito.
In an advisory posted on its Facebook page the PCG-District Southern Tagalog cited the weather bulletin by the Pagasa and “the potential effects of inclement weather” from Pepito.
The authorities said voyages would resume until further notice and upon improvement of weather and sea conditions.