By NITZ ARANCON
Correspondent
DISASTER risk reduction management officials in the city and in Misamis Oriental yesterday raised the alert levels as another storm after “Nona” threatened to hit Mindanao, including this city, today.
Cagayan de Oro’s and Misamis Oriental’s disaster risk reduction management councils raised the alert levels, stepped up monitorings, and ordered a massive campaign to tell people in the villages to prepare for the possibility of evacuation.
Allan Porcadilla, city disaster risk reduction management officer, said the alert level was raised to “yellow” in the city after the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) hoisted Storm Warning Signal No. 1 in this part of Mindanao.
Fernando Dy, provincial disaster risk reduction management officer, said a “Code Blue” was declared by the capitol in Misamis Oriental, and that all municipal disaster officers have been given orders to monitor the situation in their respective areas 24 hours a day starting yesterday.
Pagasa shows the track of the tropical depression–it’s headed Caraga’s and northern Mindanao’s way.
Yesterday morning, Pagasa raised public storm warning signal over 12 provinces in Mindanao as tropical depression “Onyok” maintained its strength and continued to move toward Caraga.
As of 10 am yesterday, the center of “Onyok” was estimated based on all available data at 625 kilometers east of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur (8.4°N, 132.0°E) packed with maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour near the center. It was forecast to move westward at 15 kph.
With that speed and movement, Pagasa said “Onyok” would likely make a landfall in Caraga this afternoon or evening.
Winds of up to 30-60 kph are expected, and the areas covered by the storm warning signal are Surigao del Sur, including Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte, Dinagat, Misamis Oriental, Camiguin, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Davao Oriental, Davao del Norte, Compostela Valley and Bukidnon.
Residents in low-lying and mountainous areas of the provinces with the public storm warning signal were alerted against possible flashfloods and landslides.
The estimated rainfall amount is from moderate to heavy within the 100-km diameter of “Onyok” that is forecast to be at 273 km east of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur this morning.
By tomorrow morning, “Onyok” is expected to be in the vicinity of Katipunan, Zamboanga del Norte, and at 750 km west of Zamboanga City by Sunday morning.
It is also forecast to be at 1,445 km west-southwest of Zamboanga City or outside the Philippine area by Monday morning.
Porcadilla said city hall has tasked barangay officials to do the rounds and start a public information campaign about the need to prepare.
In Misamis Oriental, municipal disaster officers were instructed to tell fisherfolk not to set out to the sea, Dy said.
Dy said the capitol was keeping an eye on Gingoog and El Salvador cities, and the towns of Magsaysay, Medina, Talisayan, Salay, Lagonglong, Balingasag, Jasaan, Villanueva, Claveria, Tagoloan, and Opol because these are flood-prone areas.
Local officials met at VIP Hotel yesterday morning to discuss a pre-disaster needs analysis, and map out plans.
Pagasa weather specialist Luz Mercado said “Onyok” entered the Philippine area at around 4 pm on Wednesday. At that time, “Onyok” was positioned some 860 kilometers east of Mati, Davao Del Sur, she said.
By 10 am yesterday, Mercado said, Onyok was already some 625 kilometers east of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur, and it was moving westward at 15 kph.
“Within a 100-kilometer radius, naa gayoy mga pag-ulan,” said Mercado.
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