Classes, government work suspended today due to Nando

MANILA, Philippines — Classes and government work have been suspended today in Metro Manila and nearby provinces due to Super Typhoon Nando (international name Ragasa), according to Malacañang.

Covered by the order are Metro Manila, Abra, Antique, Apayao, Bataan, Batanes, Batangas, Benguet, Bulacan, Cagayan, Cavite, Ifugao, locos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Isabela, Kalinga, La Union, Laguna, Mountain Province, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Palawan, Romblon, Rizal, Tarlac and Zambales.

The move to cancel work in government and classes in the said areas was upon the recommendation of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council based on Memorandum Circular 97, issued  on Sunday night.

The memo, however, said agencies responsible for basic, vital and health services, preparedness and response duties must continue to remain operational to ensure continuity of essential government functions.

Nando maintained its strength yesterday as it moved closer to extreme northern Luzon, with the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) warning of destructive winds, heavy rains, storm surges and dangerous seas.

As of 4 p.m. yesterday, the eye of Nando was spotted 450 kilometers east of Aparri, Cagayan, packing maximum sustained winds of 185 km per hour near the center and gusts of up to 230 kph.

Signal No. 3 is up over the southern portion of Batanes, the Babuyan Islands and the northeastern part of mainland Cagayan, where storm-force winds pose a significant threat to life and property within the next 18 hours.

Signal No. 2 is raised over the rest of Cagayan, Batanes, Ilocos Norte, Apayao, Kalinga, Abra, and portions of Isabela, Mountain Province and Ilocos Sur.

Meanwhile, Signal No. 1 covers large swaths of Northern and Central Luzon, including Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Aurora, Benguet, La Union, Pangasinan, parts of Pampanga, Bulacan and northern Quezon, as well as the Polillo Islands.

Dangerous sea conditions

A gale warning is up over the seaboards of Northern Luzon and the eastern coast of Central Luzon, with sea heights reaching 14 meters around Batanes and Babuyan Islands. PAGASA advised all mariners, especially those operating small vessels, to remain in port until conditions improve.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has been on heightened alert since Saturday.

On Facebook, the PCG posted a message assuring the public that its deployable response groups, medical teams and search and rescue teams are ready to respond to emergencies.

The PCG District North Western Luzon placed all operational units, stations and substations in Pangasinan, La Union, Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte on “maximum alert status.”

The PCG District North Eastern Luzon gave assurance that their stations and substations in Cagayan, Aurora, Batanes, Isabela, Calayan and Sta. Ana are also on “high alert and fully prepared to respond to any emergencies.”

Forecast track

Nando was expected to move west-northwest yesterday, before turning west toward the extreme northern part of Luzon today.

On its track yesterday, the center of the typhoon may pass close to or make landfall over Batanes or the Babuyan Islands by the afternoon or evening today.

It is forecast to exit the Philippine area of responsibility by tomorrow morning.

DILG, PNP, OCD advisories

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) urged local governments to strengthen their disaster preparedness measures as Nando is expected to bring heavy rains that could trigger flooding and landslides in parts of the country.

The DILG called on governors, mayors and barangay leaders to act with urgency by enforcing preemptive evacuations in high-risk communities, monitoring rivers and slopes, clearing obstructions in waterways and ensuring the safety of roads near landslide-prone areas.

The DILG stressed that even barangays not included in the official risk list may still be affected, particularly those near identified danger zones.

The Philippine National Police has mobilized its personnel and mobility assets for disaster response operations.

“Our police forces in the affected areas have already been alerted and were tasked to prepare in coordination with the local government units especially in danger zones that include low-lying areas and coastal communities,” acting PNP chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said in a statement.

The DILG said the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council is already on “red alert.”

The NDRRMC reported a total of 104,159 persons or 28,831 families in 187 barangays were already affected by the combined effects of Nando, the southwest monsoon and the previous tropical cyclone, Mirasol. There were 165 families or 497 persons staying in six evacuation centers.

The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) advised the public yesterday not to be complacent.

Food packs

Meanwhile, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has delivered an additional 5,000 boxes of family food packs (FFPs) to various warehouses in the CAR.

At least 4,000 food packs arrived at the Kalinga warehouse and 1,000 packs at the Benguet warehouse yesterday, confirmed Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao of the DSWD’s Disaster Response Management Group.

The DSWD is also focusing relief efforts in Cagayan Valley, another area in the typhoon’s path. At least 8,500 boxes of FFPs are currently en route to Cagayan and Isabela provinces, complementing the prepositioned stock of 133,533 food packs in the entire Cagayan Valley region, Dumlao added.

“Aside from the additional 8,500 packs, we have more than 20,000 prepositioned in Batanes alone to ensure that affected communities in the northernmost provinces have adequate support,” she said. — Jun Elias, Cesar Ramirez, Rainier Allan Ronda, Emmanuel Tupas, Evelyn Macairan, Artemio Dumlao, Pia Lee-Brago