Cagayan braces for Super Typhoon Mawar

Residents of Cagayan are bracing for the possible onslaught of Super Typhoon Mawar.

According to GMA One North Central Luzon's Jasmin Gabriel Galban's report on GTV Balitanghali on Friday, the red alert status may be raised tonight. 

As part of the preparations, Cagayan fishermen no longer went out to sea as a precautionary measure. The area's ferry boats and fishing and cargo vessels had also been secured. Ten towns in Cagayan have been classified as areas of concern by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO).

In an 11 a.m. advisory, PAGASA said Mawar now has maximum sustained winds of 215 kilometers per hour (km/h) near the center, gustiness of up to 260 km/h, and central pressure of 905 hPa.

Mawar’s strong to typhoon-force winds extend outwards up to 550 km from the center, it added.

Classes in public and private schools and government work have been suspended in the province.  

Meanwhile, the Cagayan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) said around 6,000 food packs had already been disbursed in the province.

A total of 150 rescue personnel from the PDRRMO have also been deployed.

“Yung paghahanda namin dito laging for the worst dahil 70% of the province are very highly susceptible to flood and rain-induced landslide,” Cagayan PDRRMO chief Rueli Rapsing said in Bernadette Reyes, Ian Cruz, Chino Gaston’s report on “24 Oras”.

(Our preparations are always for the worst because 70% of the province is highly susceptible to floods and rain-induced landslides.)

The Batanes Provincial Government, likewise, prepared emergency generators, fuel, and lights for possible power outages. Its search and rescue operations are now also on standby.

“Kailangan magprepara ng clearing na gamit, kagaya ng backhoes, chainsaws, at saka hose, 'yung water pump at saka ambulance, saka ho response vehicle in case po na magkaroon ho kami ng landslide or magrescue kami,” said Batanes Governor Marilou Cayco.

(We need to prepare clearing equipment such as backhoes, chainsaws, hoses, water pumps, ambulances, and response vehicles in case there will be landslides or rescue operations.) —Sherylin Untalan with Sundy Locus/ VAL, GMA Integrated News