Dabawenyos warned to brace for typhoon Yolanda

DAVAO CITY, Nov 7 (PIA) Local authorities warned residents to brace for the heavy downpour brought about by typhoon Yolanda to Eastern Mindanao and to heed to the calls of barangay leaders for evacuation, particularly those living along waterways and landslide-prone areas before the situation worsens.

Speaking in the I-Speak Forum, Senior Superintendent Vicente Danao, director of the Davao City Police Office said residents must prepare their emergency containers that put in food, clothing, bottled water, medicine, flashlight, transistor radio, medical kit and important documents which come in handy during pre-emptive evacuation.

He said preparation must be done even before the typhoon’s landfall especially those living in low-laying areas.

“The people must no longer wait for the storm to fall before they prepare.  They must move out as early as now,” Danao said.

He urged those living along river systems, particularly the Davao River to monitor the level and behaviour of the water.

Emmanuel Jaldon, chief of the Emergency Response Center Central 911 said that the typhoon Yolanda might impact on the city in form of heavy rains and surge of high tide.

He said these factors might lead to the possibility of flash flood in the city.

Jaldon said residents along the river must conduct voluntary evacuation once they see that the level of threat is increasing.

“They must move out temporarily to be safe and move out immediately before the actual flood occurs,” he said.

Jaldon said all equipment and personnel of the Central 911 are placed on Alert level 1 where they are on standby for possible rescue activities.

Liwayway Caligdong, deputy chief of the City Social Welfare and Development Office said all families living in the city must prepare an emergency plastic bag containing at least one to three kilos of rice which can be cooked into porridge during times of contingency.

She said the emergency bag must also contain two to three pieces of dry clothing especially for children which might get soaked in the rain and  a medical kit that contains medicine, alcohol and the like.

Caligdong said every member of the family must know where to draw the emergency bag when the time to evacuate comes.

“We assure the readiness of the city government to provide food assistance and temporary shelter to those who might be displaced by the typhoon,” she said.  (PIA 11-Joey Sem G. Dalumpines)