Red alert status

CEBU, Philippines — With sea and air travel suspended, Cebu City and the Cebu province are on red alert status as Cebuanos brace for the imminent landfall of Typhoon Odette.

As of yesterday, a large part of the Visayas, including Cebu Province’s Camotes Islands, had been placed under typhoon signal number 2 while the rest of Cebu was on signal number 1.

Based on the 5 p.m. weather bulletin of Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration yesterday, Typhoon Odette has further intensified with maximum sustained winds of 130 km/h and gustiness of up to 160 km/h as it moved northwestward.

In Cebu City, Mayor Michael Rama suspended public transactions at the City Hall starting today until Friday due to Typhoon Odette.

Rama, however, said frontline services will remain available while the city is under a red alert status. Red alert means “regular duty personnel and Operations Service Alert teams” must be on duty 24/7 to respond to the emergency or calamity.

There should also be “immediate” coordination among the government agencies such as the PAGASA; Department of Social Welfare and Development; Department of Health; Department of Public Works and Highways; Department of Education; Department of Agriculture; and Department of the Interior and Local Government, among others.

“Tropical Cyclone Odette may come our way, direct or within its peripherals, but it is our readiness, our ability to proact and respond, that matters, especially when it mitigates the effects of the natural calamity and even save lives,” said Rama.

Since Monday, the Incident Command Center at the City Hall has been operational, which will oversee the preemptive evacuation of some hotspots from today.

The mayor also announced that COVID-19 vaccination is postponed today and tomorrow.

The distribution of the senior citizen financial assistance is likewise moved to December 19-21, with vaccination on the side at the barangay centers.

“Bear in mind that this storm is expected to carry some 500,000 barrels of rain per square kilometer, more than three times the minimum rainfall when red alert is raised. Flooding and landslides can happen. We all need to be extra cautious,” said Rama.

Rama reminded the city residents to be prepared and establish their own Family Disaster Preparedness Plan.

Disaster-prone areas

Councilor Jerry Guardo said that the city’s goal is to place heavy equipment in every hazard-prone barangay for immediate response in case any untoward incident occurs.

Guardo said that a group of contractors has offered equipment to be used for the city’s typhoon response.

The Cebu Contractors’ Association, Inc. committed its technical and mechanical support to the city’s disaster risk management and response operations.

“Our membership’s available manpower and equipment resources will be waiting for your local government unit’s disposal as the need arises,” read the group‘s letter to Rama.

Guardo added that a private contractor also offered 20 dump trucks for the same purpose.

“Ang amo plan is kada bridge naa gyod mi istation nga backhoe ug kaning dump truck. Kada mountain barangay sad naa gyod tay equipment,” he said.

He said preventive dredging will be done in some areas in the city to minimize the risk of flooding.

Guardo added that private establishments that would like to offer their equipment to be used by the city government during the typhoon can coordinate with his office.

The Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) expects Typhoon Odette to bring heavy rains.

Emergency personnel and other augmentation forces are already on standby now that Cebu has been placed under Storm Signal Number 1.

CCDRMMO's officer in charge Ramil Ayuman said that his office has assigned more personnel to regularly check the mountain areas for possible landslides.

He added that getting updates from media is very helpful.

Passengers stranded

Meanwhile, hundreds of passengers were stranded in Central Visayas .

Based on Coast Guard Station Cebu record, 254 passengers were stranded in different ports across Cebu yesterday morning due to suspension of sea travel.

Coast Guard Station Commander Alvin Dagalea said his station suspended voyage for all type of vessels or watercrafts to avoid maritime accidents.

“Voyage of vessels will resume upon improvement of weather and sea condition in the above-mentioned areas,” Dagalea noted.

As Typhoon Odette approaches the Visayas area, PAGASA has put Camotes island along with other areas in southern portion of Eastern Samar (City of Borongan, Maydolong, Balangkayan, Llorente, Lawaan, Balangiga, Giporlos, Quinapondan, General Macarthur, Hernani, Salcedo, Mercedes, Guiuan), the southern portion of Samar (Basey, Marabut, Santa Rita), Southern Leyte, the central and southern portions of Leyte (Ormoc City, Jaro, Alangalang, Tacloban City, Palompon, Merida, Isabel, Palo, Santa Fe, Pastrana, Tanauan, Dagami, Tabontabon, Tolosa, Julita, Dulag, Burauen, Albuera, City of Baybay, La Paz, Mayorga, Macarthur, Javier, Abuyog, Mahaplag, Inopacan, Hindang, Hilongos, Bato, Matalom, Babatngon), and the eastern portion of Bohol (Garcia Hernandez, Jagna, Sierra Bullones, Dagohoy, Talibon, Trinidad, San Miguel, Pilar, Duero, Guindulman, Anda, Candijay, Alicia, Mabini, Ubay, Bien Unido, Pres. Carlos P. Garcia) under tropical cyclone signal warning number two.

Cebu Province

Except for frontline offices, several LGUs across the province have cancelled their operations.

Danao City suspended work of all local and national government agencies today until tomorrow.

In Daanbantayan, Mayor Sun Shimura suspended the classes in all levels today. San Remigio town also shut down all government and private offices aside from suspending all classes.

In Consolacion, the LGU has identified ten evacuation centers to shelter those who will be affected by the typhoon. These evacuation centers are the multi-purpose gym in barangays Tayud, Jugan, Pitogo, Pulpogan, Polog, Cabangahan, Tolotolo, Garing, Lanipga. It also opens the Laray Evacuation Center.

The LGU also identified the flood-prone areas in barangays of  Cansaga, Pitogo, Lamac, Nangka, Danglag, Tilhaong, Pulpogan, Poblacion Oriental and Tayud while the landslide-prone areas are in Lanipga, Panas, Panoypoy, Garing, Danglag, Polog, Tolotolo, Cabangahan and Sacsac.

Aside from Sibonga, where the Capitol has installed its command center, Neil Sanchez, the PDRRMO chief, said they also coordinated with Danao City to be the center of deployment of equipment and emergency responders for northern areas.

Armed forces

Military personnel are on standby following the deployment of the regular disaster response unit in 'strategic areas.'

Major Joe Patrick Martinez, Group Commander of the Civil Relations Groups of the Visayas Command (VISCOMM), said they are more prepared this time as they had learned lessons from the previous typhoons.

"We'd been preparing for this ever since. Kung mapapansin nyo we have a regular disaster response preparedness, we had our equipment checked, yung personnel, yun ang pinaka-importante,"said Martinez.

He said their main goal is to help 'mitigate' the impact of the typhoon in the communities.

"We have enough troops to help our community. Kasi in times of crisis, we shift from our usual combat operation to Disaster response, mahalaga kasi yan sa atin especially to help our local government units na tumulong," said Martinez.

With the military taking on dual tasks - combat and disaster response - Martinez said soldiers will not hesitate in rescuing everyone in the community, even those 'enemies' of the government.

"We are only here to support, for manpower, equipment, but definitely it means a lot kasi may instances kasi, sa ibang areas, ina ambush yung responders natin even the times of calamity, so napakalaking tulong na soldiers can defend themselves," said Martinez. – Iris Hazel Mascardo, Sanden J. Anadia, Le Phyllis F. Antojado LPM (FREEMAN)