BY NOEL TALACAY and VICTOR REYES
NEARLY 100,000 persons have been evacuated as typhoon “Odette” made at least four landfalls yesterday in areas in the Visayas and Mindanao.
At least seven areas were placed under signal No. 4, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.
Odette, as of 4 p.m. yesterday, was in the vicinity of Liloan, Southern Leyte, moving westward at 30 kph and packing maximum sustained winds of 195 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 270 kph.
PAGASA said Odette will cross several provinces in the Central Visayas and Western Visayas regions before emerging at the Sulu Sea today.
Odette may start to weaken on Saturday night or Sunday, PAGASA also said.
Odette, the 15th typhoon to enter the country this year, first hit the holiday island of Siargao in Surigao del Norte at 1:30 p.m. The second landfall was in Cagdianao town Dinagat Island at 3:10 p.m.; third at 4:50 p.m. in Liloan town in Panaon Island in Southern Leyte; fourth at 5:40 p.m. in Padre Burgos also in Southern Leyte.
Signal No. 4 was up over Southern Leyte, Bohol, Dinagat Islands, Surigao de Norte including Siargao and Bucas Grande Islands, southwestern portion of Leyte, and the central and southern portions of Cebu, Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental.
Signal No. 3 was raised in Cagayancillo Islands; Siquijor; Guimaras; southern portions of Iloilo and Antique; northern portions of Cebu, Negros Occidental, Agusan del Norte, and Surigao del Sur; and the rest of southern portions of Leyte and Negros Oriental.
Signal No. 2 was up in Albay; Sorsogon; Masbate including Ticao and Burias Islands; Romblon; Oriental and Occidental Mindoro; mainland Palawan, including Kalayaan, Balabac, Cuyao, and Calamian Islands; Northern Samar; Eastern Samar; Samar; Biliran; Capiz; Aklan; Agusan del Sur; Misamis Occidental and Oriental; Camiguin; rest of Leyte, Cebu, Negros Occidental, Iloilo, Antique, Surigao del Sur, and Agusan del Sur; the extreme northern portions of Zamboanga del Norte; the northern portions of Lanao del Sur, Lanao del Norte and Bukidnon
Under signal No. 1 were Catanduanes; Camarines Norte; Camarines Sur; Marinduque; Batangas; southern portions of Quezon; northern portions of Davao Oriental, Davao de Oro, Davao del Norte, Zamboanga del Norte, and Zamboanga Sibugay; and the rest of Bukidnon, Lanao del Norte, and Zamboanga del Sur.
President Duterte urged those in affected areas to be vigilant and follow instructions of their local.
At the unveiling of the new train sets for the Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7) that was held in Diliman in Quezon City, Duterte said the national government is closely monitoring developments in the typhoon-affected areas and is ready to extend whatever aid is needed.
“We have undertaken all the necessary precautions, prepositioned resources and closely coordinated with the localities to prepare for immediate emergency and relief response.
Still, we must remain watchful and careful of the developments. Let us ensure that our people in areas on the path of the typhoon will be safe and well,” Duterte said.
Footage shared by the Philippine Coast Guard showed rescuers wading through chest-deep waters in Cagayan de Oro City, while ferrying residents in rubber boats.
EVACUATION OPS
The Caraga region had the most number of evacuees with 20,888 families or 78,290 individuals, followed by the Eastern Visayas region with 4,615 families or 17,165 individuals, Central Visayas 2,336 individuals, and Northern Mindanao with 60 families or 300 persons.
NDRRMC operations center chief Joe-mar Perez said these individuals were evacuated ahead of Odette’s landfalls.
Authorities began pre-emptive evacuation operations in flood- and landslide-prone areas on Tuesday.
“Currently, based on the data gathered by the operations center, a total of 98,091 individuals were pre-emptively evacuated. This is the total from Regions 7 (Central Visayas, 8 (Eastern Visayas), 10 (Northern Mindanao) and Caraga,” said Perez.
Perez said the numbers are expected to increase as filed reports come in. He also said the evacuation in risk areas was ongoing as of yesterday.
On the damage, Perez said personnel on the ground have yet to complete their assessment.
“It’s not yet safe for the LGUs (local government units) to provide data because they are being battered now. Once the situation subsides or it’s already safe for our assessment team to go to the ground, that’s the time we will have a clearer picture,” he said.
Prior to the landfalls, Perez said 59 seaports in the Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Northern Mindanao, and Caraga regions stopped operations, stranding some 3,855 passengers.
Initially, Perez said, two road sections were affected and two municipalities experienced power interruptions but did not elaborate.
Perez said he has no information about any ongoing search and rescue operation.
Casiano Monilla, deputy administrator for operations of the Office of Civil Defense, said they have yet to receive any information about casualties from Odette.
Monilla said he is hoping there will be no casualty.
“As you can see, around 98,000 individuals were already pre-emptively evacuated. It (evacuation) is still continuing. Some LGUs, as we speak, are still conducting pre-emptive evacuation,” said Monilla.
Dinagat Islands Gov. Arlene Bag-ao said some 1,997 families have been evacuated in the province as of 7 a.m. yesterday.
Bag-ao said the province was pounded by strong winds and heavy rains yesterday morning.
She said they have been actually experiencing rains two weeks prior to Odette.
“That’s why we’re scared, our soil is soft already,” said Bag-ao, raising fears of landslides.
Bag-ao said the province resorted to a forced evacuation of residents who refused to heed calls to evacuate “because the winds became stronger since yesterday.”
Northern Samar Gov. Ben Evardone said there were 8,743 families or 29,875 individuals who were already evacuated in the province.
“Some of them were subjected to forced evacuation because it’s already dangerous. We’re experiencing strong winds and heavy rains,” said Evardone yesterday morning.
Evardone said telecommunication in the province was erratic because of strong winds and heavy rains.
Evardone also said there are enough relief goods for affected residents.
Office of Civil Defense-Caraga director Liza Mazo said the pre-emptive evacuation the region was focused on Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Sur and Surigao del Sur.
Mazo said the evacuees are from the coastal areas with history of flooding and mountainous areas that are susceptible to landslides. “We issued advisory for them to preemptively evacuate since last Sunday,” said Mazo.
Leyte Gov. Leopoldo Petilla said some of his constituents were also evacuated but could not immediately give figures.
Misamis Oriental provincial disaster reduction and management officer Fernando Vincent Dy Jr said about 314 families were already evacuated as of around 10 a.m yesterday.
Dy, at the “Laging Handa” press briefing, said the number is expected to increase because the evacuation that started on Tuesday was ongoing as of yesterday.
Gov. Arthur Yap of Bohol said they also preemptively evacuated residents from low-lying areas that are usually flooded during typhoons. He did not give figures.
“We gave priority to these areas, at least to get people to safe grounds,” said Yap, adding they opened schools to serve as evacuation sites.
The OCD Central Visayas said 2,337 persons were evacuated in Bohol and in Cebu.
FLIGHTS CANCELED
A total of 113 flights were canceled yesterday due to Odette, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport said.
Of the 113, 56 were arrival flights and 57 were departure flights.
At NAIA Terminal 2, Philippine Airlines canceled six flights each from Manila to Dumaguete, to Siargao, and to Iloilo; eight flights from Manila to Tagbilaran (Panglao) and to Butuan; 12 flights from Manila to Tacloban and to Cagayan; nine flights from Manila to Cebu; and 10 flights from Manila to Caticlan (Boracay), vice versa.
At Terminal 3, CebGo canceled two flights from Manila to Boracay (Caticlan) and to Masbate, and four flights from Manila to Siargao, vice versa.
Cebu Pacific canceled two flights from Manila to Ozamiz, four flights to Tacloban, six flights from Manila to Butuan, 10 flights to Cebu and Cagayan, and 20 flights to Boracay (Caticlan), vice versa. — With Jocelyn Montemayor and Reuters
