Major highways in North Luzon closed

MANILA, Philippines – The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) has ordered the closure of major roads in Northern Luzon due to the imminent threat of landslides caused by heavy rains from Typhoon Lando (Koppu).

NDRRMC executive director Alexander Pama yesterday said the road closure is part of the government’s preparation for Lando, which is expected to hit Aurora and Isabela provinces this morning.

“Starting tonight (last night), we are closing traffic on all major highways like the Halsema Highway, Kennon Road, Marcos Highway as well as Dalton Pass to preclude any possible road mishaps during the storm,” Pama said.

Halsema is a key artery in Northern Luzon that stretches from Baguio City to major areas in the Mountain Province, while Kennon Road and Marcos Highway are main thoroughfares from Metro Manila and other Central Luzon provinces to Baguio City. 

Dalton Pass is a mountainous highway that connects the provinces of Nueva Ecija and Nueva Vizcaya.

With the closure of the highways, Pama said a travel ban will also be enforced on all provincial buses from Metro Manila and other key areas bound for Baguio City, Aurora, Cagayan Valley and parts of Ilocos region.

“The above-mentioned roads are all considered flood- and landslide-prone areas during strong typhoons, and allowing land travel over these major highways will only increase the risks of commuters being caught in a very dire situation,” Pama said.

Preemptive evacuation

Pama said a total of 72 families or 219 persons from the coastal areas of Isabela have already volunteered to move out to stay at the five evacuation centers put up by the provincial government.

Pama called for local residents living along areas projected to be in Lando’s path to be on alert and prepared to move to safer grounds.

Pama said the council has a standing order to all disaster responders to enforce forced evacuation on residents living in disaster-prone areas .

“We are appealing to everybody to be always on the look out and be ready for possible evacuation,” Pama said.