Baguio City braces for floods, landslides brought on by Ompong

The Baguio City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office is monitoring flood- and landslide-prone areas as Typhoon Ompong threatens Northern Luzon.

In a 24 Oras report by Mariz Umali on Thursday, personnel from the Baguio CDRRMO tested a siren in City Camp Lagoon in Barangay Lower Rock Quarry to check if the alert warning system is working.

The area, which is considered as flood prone, also has a rain gauge and automated water level monitoring system.

"Proactive measure natin ito, warning system natin dito is talagang for worst case scenario. Kung magkaroon ng flooding of course marami tayong affected na families," said Julius Santos, head of the operations division of Baguio CDRRMO.

"Delikado kung may maiwan dito so ang concern natin will be 'yung mga residente na hindi kayang maglakad... possible na malunod sila," Santos added.

The Baguio CDRRMO already put its emergency operations center under red alert to prepare for the typhoon's possible effects.

Rescue and disaster response equipment have been prepared, along with ambulances, firetrucks and wreckers positioned on standby.

Barangay officials also advised residents to prepare for the typhoon and observe preemptive evacuation measures if necessary. They also visited landslide-prone areas.

"Magprepare kayo kasi may bagyong parating... ihanda niyo 'yung flashflight, battery, radio, gamot, tubig, mga damit niyo, pagkain," a barangay official said.

The retunneling project in the area has continued in order to prevent floods.

Amid preparations for possible floods and landslides, prices of vegetables and strawberries started to increase.

"'Yung gulay kasi nasisira sila kaya pili po 'yung binibigay nila sa amin... 'yung kukunin sana namin, naghahati-hati na kami," a vendor said.

As of 4 p.m., PAGASA located Ompong at 575 kilometers east northeast of Virac, Catanduanes packing maximum sustained winds of 205 kilometers per hour and gustiness of up to 255 kilometers per hour.

The weather bureau said that Ompong is expected to make landfall in the Cagayan-Isabela area on Saturday morning. —Anna Felicia Bajo/JST, GMA News