Forced evacuation must be strictly implemented by gov’t—INQUIRER.net poll

OFF TO ‘NOAH’S ARKS’

MANILA, Philippines— The recent Inquirer.net poll says government must strictly implement forced evacuation to residents in areas predictably affected by an approaching typhoon.

With tropical depression Ramon intensifying into a typhoon on Tuesday afternoon and raising signal number 2 in four provinces in Eastern Visayas and northeastern Mindanao, the government is again faced with a challenge to strictly implement the said directive.

For a week, Inquirer.net conducted a poll with the question: Do you think the government should implement forced evacuation of residents when a strong typhoon is approaching?

For the overall result, those who voted yes amounted to 82.43 percent or 671 votes while those who clicked “no” yield 17.57 percent or 143 votes.

Two weeks ago, Typhoon Pedring and Quiel battered Central and Northern Luzon, leaving nearly 80 people dead and an estimated P10-B damage to properties.

Despite the respective local government units’ plea to residents to go to safer areas, many still refused to leave their homes.

In the aftermath, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported that 115 schools in 20 divisions were used as evacuation centers.