Cagayan prepares for Julian's effects

The province of Cagayan has laid out preparations for the possible effects of Tropical Storm Julian, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) said on Saturday.

"'Yung mga food and non-food items sa part po ng province, may dalawang warehouse tayo, naka-preposition na sa warehouses natin," Cagayan PDRRMO head Ruelie Rapsing said in an interview on Dobol B TV.

(The food and non-food items were already prepositioned in our two warehouses.)

So far, no preemptive evacuations have been conducted, Rapsing said.

"Sa northeastern municipalities, wala pang report ang ating mga MDRRMOs kaugnay sa evacuation," he said.

(In the northeastern municipalities, there have been no reports yet of evacuation from our MDRRMOs.)

At 5 p.m. on Saturday, PAGASA raised Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 over the following areas:

• Batanes
• Cagayan including Babuyan Islands
• Isabela
• Apayao
• Kalinga
• Eastern portion of Mountain Province (Natonin, Paracelis)
• Eastern portion of Ifugao (Aguinaldo, Alfonso Lista)
• Ilocos Norte
• Abra
• Northern portion of Aurora (Dilasag, Casiguran)

As of 4 p.m., Julian was located 380 kilometers east of Aparri, Cagayan, with maximum sustained winds of 75 km/h near the center and gustiness of up to 90 km/h.

It was moving west northwestward at 15 km/h.

In the town of Ballesteros, a school was flooded affecting several items.

The school administration said it was ready amid Julian's presence, according to a report by GMA Regional TV's Jasmin Gabriel Galban on ''24 Oras Weekend.''

Some schools in Aparri were also being monitored.

Meanwhile, the towns of Sta. Ana, Gonzaga, Sta. Teresita, Baggao and Gattaran are under red alert status.

Since Friday, the "no sailing, no fishing" and "no swimming" policy has been enforced.

On Saturday morning, Cagayan has so far not had heavy rains, Rapsing said.

"So far, sa southern municipalities, wala pa kaming nararamdaman. Makulimlim lang ang kalangitan. Pero doon sa northeastern municipalities, na nakataas ang Signal No. 1, medyo panaka-naka ang pag-aambon," he said.

(So far, in the southern municipalities, we have not felt it (the effects) yet. The skies are cloudy. But in the northern municipalities where TCWS No. 1 is in effect, there have been light rain showers.)

"No sail policy na tayo since apektado ang mga shoreline natin," Rapsing said.

(We have a no sail policy since our shorelines are affected.)  —with a report from Sherylin Untalan/KG/VBL, GMA Integrated News