LEGAZPI CITY – Authorities and local government units are rushing to evacuate dwellers in coastal areas of Camarines Sur in anticipation of storm surges that may be brought by typhoon “Chedeng” (international name: Maysak).
Luzena “Che” Bermeo, head of the Environment Disaster Management and Emergency Response Office (Edmero) of Camarines Sur, said government disaster response teams were particularly focusing on the coastal villages in the towns of Garchitorena, Caramoan, Presentacion, Siruma and Balatan.
READ: ‘Chedeng’ to be felt Saturday night; Signal No. 2 up in 10 provinces
These towns, she said, are at high risk from storm surges, according to data gathered by Edmero.
Bermeo said they decided on the preemptive evacuations after the state weather bureau raised storm signal number one over the province midday on Friday.
She said there was no exact figure yet on the number of families and individuals evacuated as evacuations were expected to continue until afternoon of Saturday.
She said residents in other places at risk of flooding and landslides were also being evacuated as Chedeng moved nearer to land.
In its 11 a.m. bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Typhoon Chedeng has accelerated slightly as it moved closer to the Isabela-Aurora area.
The typhoon packed a maximum sustained winds of 130 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 160 kph and was moving west northwest at 22 kph. Its location, as of 10 a.m., was 450 km east southeast of Casiguran, Aurora.
By Monday morning, it is projected to be in the n the vicinity of Ilagan City or 50 km south of Tuguegarao City.
Placed under storm signal number two were the provinces of Isabela, Southern Cagayan, Kalinga, Mt. Province, Ifugao, Benguet, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Aurora and Catanduanes.
Under signal number one are the rest of Cagayan including Babuyan Island, Apayao, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Abra, La Union, Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Pampanga, Bulacan, Rizal, Quezon, Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur.
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