Tourists ordered to evacuate Baler due to threat of ‘Chedeng’

Tourists in Baler, Aurora province, a popular surfing destination, who will refuse to leave the municipality on Friday will be forcibly evacuated as typhoon “Chedeng” (international name: Maysak) approaches northern Luzon, the local government announced.

READ: Thousands of Baler travelers warned as ‘Chedeng’ nears

After an emergency meeting of Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council with hotel and inn owners on Thursday, Mayor Nelianto Bihasa advised tourists billeted at inns Baler coast to leave their accommodations not later than Friday.

This is in anticipation of “Chedeng” which is expected to make landfall over the coast of Aurora-Isabela area on Sunday morning. But as of Friday morning, “Chedeng” slightly weakened as it inched closer to Eastern and Northern Luzon packing maximum sustained winds of 150 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 185 kph.

READ: Signal No. 1 up in Catanduanes, Camarines Sur due to ‘Chedeng’

Bihasa warned travelers not to remain in Baler until Saturday. He said those who will refuse to heed the preemptive evacuation order will be forced to evacuate “if needed.”

The rest of the statement read:

“1. Paalalahanan ng mga may-ari ng inn/accommodation ang kanilang mga bisita na dapat sa araw ng Biyernes (April 3, 2015) ay pabalik na sila sa kanilang mga lugar at hindi na dapat abutin  ng araw ng Sabado (April 4, 2015) dito sa ating bayan.

(Inn owners should remind their visitors that by Friday, they should be in their places of origin already, and should no longer be in our town by Saturday.)

2. Kung sakaling hindi pumayag na umalis ang mga bisita ngayong araw na ito ay ipaalam na isa sila sa mga mapapabilang sa isasagawang (PREEMPTIVE) EVACUATION kung ang kanilang lugar na tinututluyan malapit sa dagat at mababang ugar ang kinalalagyan. At kung sakaling hindi sila tumugon sa PREEMPTIVE EVACUATION ay mapapasama sila sa isasagawang FORCE(D) EVACUATION kung kinakailangan.

(If in case the visitors don’t leave Friday, they will be subjected to the preemptive evacuation if they are staying near the coast. If they refuse, they will be subjected to forced evacuation if necessary.)

3. Ipabatid alam sa mga darating pa nilang bisita ngayong araw na ito sa mga susunod habang may banta pa ng bagyo na huwag muna ituloy ang kanilang pagbyahe patungo dito sa ating llugar.”

(Inn owners must inform their prospective guests not to visit here as long as the typhoon continues to threaten our town.) IDL