NAGA CITY, Philippines – Classes in the elementary and high school levels in Naga City and the rest of Camarines Sur were ordered suspended Monday by Gov. Luis Raymund “LRay” Villafuerte after storm signal number 2 was hoisted over the province due to typhoon Pedring.
Naga City Mayor John Bongat, anticipating the weather condition to worsen, suspended government work in the afternoon on Monday to give city hall employees time to go home and prepare for the typhoon.
Bongat said he has instructed all department heads to direct all employees to wrap-up their work at 12 noon.
Naga city authorities were also on alert against the possible overflow of the Naga River, which could cause flooding in at least seven barangay (villages) in the city.
The weather bureau raised public storm signal number two over the provinces of Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Catanduanes, Isabela, Aurora and Polillo Island on Monday; and storm signal number one the provinces of Albay, Sorsogon, Quezon, Quirino, Ifugao, Nueva Vizcaya, Mt. Province, Kalinga, Cagayan and Burias Island.
As of 10 a.m. Monday, Pedring was 260 kilometers east northeast of Virac, Catanduanes, packing winds of up to 110 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 140 kph, moving west northwest at 17 kph, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.
The Provincial Disaster Risk Reducation Management Council (PDRRMC) in Camarines Sur, headed by Che Bermeo, immediately issued an advisory to all its municipal units and raised an alert over municipalities and cities with low-lying areas to prepare against possible flashfloods and landslides during the next few hours of “Pedring” approaching the mainland of Bicol Region.
The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC) of Camarines Sur has alerted all municipal and barangay councils to prepare, be on alert and take precautionary measures while Camarines Sur is under signal number 2 of typhoon Pedring.
Villafuerte, head of the PDRRMC, said he has ordered those in the coastal, landslide and flood-prone areas to prepare for immediate evacuation, if necessary, to avoid the loss of lives.
“Our relief team has already started mobilizing and distributing relief to coastal areas and taken initiatives to prevent fishermen from venturing in the waters at this time,” Villafuerte said.
Rene Abordo, PAGASA weather observer in Camarines Norte, however noted that Pedring was relatively far from the Camarines provinces at 430 kilometers, as of 10 a.m.
Abordo said the wind in the two Camarines provinces was weak, speeding at 13 meters per hour second (mps); the volume of rain was 24 millimeters, which he said was still low to trigger flooding.