OCD issues flash flood, landslide alerts

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MANILA, Philippines—Disaster officials on Saturday warned residents of the low-lying and mountainous areas  of Aurora, Isabela, Cagayan and Batanes about the danger of flash floods and landslides that might result from the heavy rains triggered by the passage of Tropical Storm Ambo.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) also directed its local offices to begin preemptive evacuation of families “if the situation warrants it” in vulnerable areas, especially in the provinces placed under Signal No. 1.

In a posting on the NDRRMC website, its executive director Benito Ramos, who is also the administrator of the Office of Civil Defense, said the storm was expected to bring heavy rainfall, from 15 to 25 millimeters per hour. .

Ambo is also expected to “enhance” the Southwest Monsoon that will bring rains over Central and Southern Luzon and the Visayas, Ramos said in the report, citing information from the state weather bureau.

“Fishing boats and other small sea craft are advised not to venture out into the eastern seaboards of Luzon and Visayas,” he said,

Ramos directed the regional offices of the NDRRMC and the OCD to take precautionary measures in their  area of  responsibility, including preemptive evacuation, if necessary.

His office also disseminated Severe Weather Bulletin No. 7 on the  storm to all OCD Regional Centers through SMS and facsimile and uploaded the bulletin on the NDRRMC website to spread the word from the provincial down to the municipal level.