Quezon residents brace for evacuation due to Typhoon Egay

Authorities in Quezon have alerted residents to brace for possible evacuation as floods threaten parts of the province due to the heavy rains brought about by Typhoon Egay.

According to a report of GMA Regional TV Balitang Southern Tagalog’s Andrew Bernardo, the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) of the municipality of Infanta is currently under heightened alert.

Rescue equipment and food packs were also readied in case residents will be evacuated.

"Patuloy ang IEC [intensive information education and communication campaign]. Kumukuha kami ng mga weather bulletin mula sa PAGASA, at gumagamit kami ng social media para ipaabot sa bawat barangay na nasasakupan ang posibleng magiging apekto,” Infanta MDRRMO head J-Art Viaje said.

(Our EIC campaign continues. We get PAGASA weather bulletins and we use social media to communicate to every barangay the effects of the typhoon.)

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) is also preparing for possible rescue operations.

“Maaari na magbago ang direksyon ng bagyo, at tumama sa Infanta, yun ang ating pinaghahandaan,” said BFP Infanta team leader Rexel Aumentado.

(The direction of the typhoon may change and hit Infanta. We’re getting ready for that.)

In 2019, a massive flood devastated Infanta after the Agos River spilled.

Meanwhile, several residents in General Nakar said they are ready to evacuate.

"Napunta sa kami sa mataas na lugar, nakiki-ano sa mga bahay. Paglipas ng bagyo nabalik dito,” a resident said.

(We take shelter in higher places and return here after the storm.)

No evacuation was reported in any part of the province so far, the Quezon Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office said.

State weather bureau PAGASA placed 16 areas in Luzon and one in Visayas as Egay further intensified on Monday afternoon.

At 4 p.m., the typhoon was seen 500 kilometers east of Baler, Aurora. It was moving north-northwestward at 10 kilometers per hour with maximum sustained winds of 155 kph near the center, gustiness of up to 190 kph, and a central pressure of 955 hPa.—Sundy Locus/LDF, GMA Integrated News