Over 6K people evacuated as Odette threatens Dinagat —gov

A total of 6,310 people in 1,997 families have been evacuated in Caraga region's Dinagat Islands as Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) No. 3 due to Typhoon Odette was raised over the island group.

In a Super Radyo dzBB interview, Governor Arlene Bag-ao said forced and preemptive evacuation operation was undertaken prior Typhoon Odette's feared landfall in the province.

“Ang huling update sa akin ng PAGASA, ang unang landfall ay sa Dinagat, at ito ay darating na pinakamalakas nang around 12 noon to 6 p.m.,” she said.

(The last update from state weather bureau PAGASA was that the first landfall of Odette will be in Dinagat and it will be at its strongest between 12 noon to 6 p.m.)

Dinagat Islands is one of the eight areas where TCWS No. 3 is currently hoisted over.

Likewise, the governor said it has been three days since sea travel was suspended in the province as the waves were rising.

“‘Initially, ‘yung damage kaagad ngayon ay wala kaming mangingisda na nakakapangisda in the last three days, so ‘yung ine-expect naming harvest everyday para sa mga lokal namin na mga merkado ay talagang wala,” Bag-ao said.

[The initial economic damage is, our fishermen have been unable to fish in the past three days, depriving our local markets of fish catch.]

“Mataas na ‘yung alon, mas mataas na sa kaninang madaling araw. Sa tingin ko naabot na niya na ‘yung parang 3 to 4 meters height at dahil high tide ngayon, mataas ‘yung dagat,” she added.

(The waves are high right now, and they are much higher at dawn. I think it has already reached between 3 to 4 meters high because it is high tide right now.)

According to PAGASA, residents within areas under TCWS No. 3 are expected to experience destructive typhoon-force winds, as well as moderate to high risk of storm surge of up to 3 meters in height, which may cause flooding in the low-lying coastal areas.

If Odette further intensifies and TCWS No. 4 will be raised in the province, Bag-ao said she expects that lots of roads and cash crops will be destroyed.

In its 8 a.m. weather bulletin, PAGASA noted that “considering the on-going rapid intensification of the typhoon, there is an increasing likelihood that TCWS #4 will be hoisted for several localities near and along the immediate path of the typhoon.”

“Actually, dalawang linggo nang umuulan kaya nakakatakot ng onti kasi malambot na agad ‘yung lupa namin bago pa man ngayon na papalapit na rin si Odette,” the governor said.

(Actually, it's been raining here for two weeks so it's kind of scary because our soil is already soft even before Odette make landfall.)

Thus, Bag-ao said they might be needing assistance from the national government, as well as the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), to augment relief goods for the people in the next three days.

Further, Bag-ao said they have also mobilized generator sets in several municipalities for vaccines storage as local government units might experience intermittent power supply.

Barangay officials have also removed several trees they think would block the roads when they fall, and also cut off branches that would obstruct power lines.

Odette was last spotted at 265 kilometers east of Surigao City, Surigao del Norte at 7 a.m. packing maximum sustained winds of 165 km per hour and gustiness of up to 205 km/h, and central pressure of 950 hPa.

With strong winds extending outwards up to 480 km from the center, the typhoon was moving west northwestward at 25 km/h. —LBG, GMA News