After 鈥榊olanda,鈥� 3 Mindanao provinces brace for brewing storm
TAGUM CITY, Philippines—Officials in Davao del Norte, Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental activated their disaster response systems as a developing new storm threatened Southeastern Mindanao.
Davao del Norte activated its disaster response system on Monday to ensure quick mobilization of rescue and relief teams should the need arise, after the weather bureau hoisted public storm signal No. 1 in the province and six other places in the region, provincial information officer Romulo Tagalo said.
Apart from Davao del Norte, the other places on storm watch due to the approach of Tropical Depression Zoraida were Dinagat and Siargao islands in Surigao del Norte, the two Agusan provinces, Surigao del Sur and Davao Oriental.
Tagalo said teams consisting of doctors, health workers, engineers and social workers were on standby status at the disaster operations center at the provincial capitol and ready for deployment.
Tagalo, who is also Davao del Norte disaster action officer, said the provincial government was evaluating the situation to determine if flood prone areas should be evacuated before Zoraida hits land on Wednesday.
In Davao Oriental, Gov. Corazon Malanyaon issued on Monday an executive order for the suspension of classes at all levels in the province.
Article continues after this advertisementMalanyaon said they have also started deploying heavy equipment that may be needed to clear roads in the event heavy rains trigger landslides.
Article continues after this advertisementThe province of Compostela Valley, although not under any storm warning, was preparing for bad weather as well, according to Fe Maestre, the provincial information officer.
“The main concern in [Compostela Valley] will be the heavy rains the storm is expected to dump, causing landslides and flooding,” said Maestre.
Last week, the provinces also activated their disaster preparation teams and suspended classes even though monster typhoon Yolanda did not bring any significant rains there.
Related Stories
‘Yolanda’ destroys P138.6-M worth of crops — report
10 deadliest natural disasters in the Philippines
‘Yolanda’ kills 300 in Samar – official
Chaos, dead bodies on typhoon-ravaged streets of Tacloban City
10,000 feared dead in typhoon-hit Philippine province – police
151 killed by ‘Yolanda’; 4.5M people affected – NDRRMC
120 policemen deployed to prevent looting in Tacloban City
Daughter’s last words: ‘Ma, just let go… Save yourself’
Philippines struggles to help desperate typhoon victims
