Police ready to assist local gov’t with forced evacuation due to ‘Gener’

Residents salvage pieces of their homes after two empty barges rammed into shanties on stilts at a poor community in Manila, Philippines, Monday, July 30, 2012. Dozens of shanty houses were destroyed as strong winds and waves made the huge barges to ram shanties nestled along the coastline of the Manila bay. AP/Aaron Favila

MANILA, Philippines – Police are ready to assist local governments with forced evacuations of residents who refuse to leave their areas despite repeated warnings of possible accidents brought about by tropical storm “Gener”, a police spokesman said Monday.

The local government of Manila conducted forced evacuation of around 100 families in the Baseco Compound around 12:20 am Monday.

“We are awaiting advice from local government if they need help from police for forced evacuation and search and rescue operations,” Police Chief Superintendent Agrimero Cruz Jr. told reporters in an ambush interview Monday.

He added that the entire police force was already under “full alert” status since Sunday in preparation for any calamities that will occur from tropical storm “Gener.”

Director General Nicanor Bartolome, Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief, “has placed all Luzon -based Police Regional Offices and National Support Units under a high state of operational readiness condition to facilitate rapid response to emergency situations as a result of heavy rains, high winds, inundation and landslides,” PNP said in a statement.

“All PNP resources and personnel will be made available for disaster response operations at the beck and call of National and local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council authorities,” it said.

“Local PNP units will also provide assistance to Local Government Units (LGU) and Department of Social Work and Development in areas where forced evacuation is being implemented,” it said.

Cruz said that each LGU has one or two rescue teams that can also assist other LGUs if need.