No damage reported in Bicol after ‘Karding’ barrels through Luzon
By Ana-Liza Macatangay
NAGA CITY --- Fifty-five families consisting of 211 individuals decamped today after the Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal (TCWS) was lifted per DOST-PAGASA TCWS Bulletin No. 21 issued on Monday, Sept. 26.
Evacuees from the municipalities of Lupi, Cabusao, Tinambac, Magarao, Calabanga, and Goa who took temporary refuge at various evacuation centers were from flood and landslide-prone areas and mostly reside in coastal barangays.
All flooded spillways, particularly the Mansalaya-Kinalangan spillway in Del Gallego and Sta. Elena in Nabua, Camarines Sur are now passable to all kinds of vehicles. As of press time, there were still 53 stranded passengers at the Pasacao Port though they would soon be sailing home after the Coast Guard Station in Camarines Sur announced the lifting of the gale warning this morning.
The provincial government of Camarines Sur has issued various directives before the issuance of the gale warning and TCWS and conducted an emergency meeting involving all PDRRMC members, provincial DRRM councils, and local DRRM officers in anticipation of the threat brought by Super Typhoon Karding.
A special communication group tasked to disseminate the information was also activated to send warning advisories relative to ST Karding’s movements, tracking, and development down to the 1,036 barangays, 35 MDRRMOs, and 1 City DRRMO.
The Philippine Information Agency (PIA) - Camarines Sur Provincial Office, as one of the members of the PDRRMC, also shared the information with the media to ensure the widest dissemination of important announcements and advisories.
A team was also assigned to continuously monitor the weather forecasts and warning advisories and cascade them to the public via SMS, Facebook pages, and other info links.
On Saturday, Sept. 24, Saturday, Camarines Sur Governor Vincenzo Renato Luigi R. Villafuerte placed the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) on Red Alert Status after DOST-PAG ASA issued bulletins forecasting the heavy rains and flooding brought by ST Karding.
The Provincial Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and Response clusters were immediately activated, and response teams and resources were directed to be on standby and get ready for deployment.
On the following day, Sept. 25, Sunday, the governor issued a memorandum suspending classes on all levels, both in private and public schools, including the suspension of work in all government offices yet exempting those who are directly involved in DRRM functions.
A memorandum on forced evacuation was subsequently issued to ensure that all vulnerable populations residing or staying in high-risk areas will not be in harm’s way if TS Karding intensifies and affects those areas on its path.
The said directives are also in accordance to Memorandum Circular No.6, series of 2022 issued by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., on Sept.25, Sunday, declaring the suspension of classes in public schools at all levels on Sept. 26 in NCR and the provinces in Regions I, II, III, IV-A (CALABARZON), IV-B, (MIMAROPA), Bicol Region and the Cordillera Administrative Region. (With reports from PDRRMC/EDMERO- PIA 5/CamSur)