CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — Amid another threat of battering from nature, three major dams in Central Luzon have continued to gradually release waters to create a safe buffer of at least one meter below critical level amid another threat from typhoon Ramil.
“I think we are better prepared for Ramil this time, after the floods caused by storm Ondoy and typhoon Pepeng,” Central Luzon police chief and Regional Disaster Coordinating Council (RDCC) chairman Chief Supt. Leon Nilo de la Cruz told Punto yesterday during a break in a meeting with members of the RDCC.
He said that officials of the Pantabangan dam in Nueva Ecija and the Ipo and Angat dams in Bulacan reported to the RDCC that their dams are prepared to cope with heavy rains that could be brought by the new typhoon which is expected to affect primarily Northern Luzon which was already battered by the recent typhoon Pepeng.
De la Cruz said he will meet again with all representatives of government agencies in the region who compose the RDCC to “fine tune our preparedness” for the typhoon.
While he declined to give figures on how many people would have to be evacuated in a worst scenario in Central Luzon, De la Cruz said that provincial and municipal disaster coordinating councils all over his region “already know what to do.”
“I think we did relatively well during storm Ondoy and typhoon Pepeng as our casualties were not much. But we will remain ever vigilant,” he said.
De la Cruz said the provincial and municipal disaster councils have “full awareness” of “critical areas” where people are most endangered by both floods and landslides.
“They have prepared trucks and boats that would be needed to rescue endangered folk and even carry out preemptive forced evacuations if necessary,” he said, as he noted that flooding has not subsided in some parts of Central Luzon since storm Ondoy last Sept. 26. He cited the case of Calumpit and Hagonoy in Bulacan where flooding remained deep in some barangays as floodwaters from higher areas continued to flow towards the two towns.
De la Cruz said that the RDCC has also stockpiled on relief goods that might be needed at evacuation centers if people have again to be moved out of endangered areas.
“I think we are better prepared for Ramil this time, after the floods caused by storm Ondoy and typhoon Pepeng,” Central Luzon police chief and Regional Disaster Coordinating Council (RDCC) chairman Chief Supt. Leon Nilo de la Cruz told Punto yesterday during a break in a meeting with members of the RDCC.
He said that officials of the Pantabangan dam in Nueva Ecija and the Ipo and Angat dams in Bulacan reported to the RDCC that their dams are prepared to cope with heavy rains that could be brought by the new typhoon which is expected to affect primarily Northern Luzon which was already battered by the recent typhoon Pepeng.
De la Cruz said he will meet again with all representatives of government agencies in the region who compose the RDCC to “fine tune our preparedness” for the typhoon.
While he declined to give figures on how many people would have to be evacuated in a worst scenario in Central Luzon, De la Cruz said that provincial and municipal disaster coordinating councils all over his region “already know what to do.”
“I think we did relatively well during storm Ondoy and typhoon Pepeng as our casualties were not much. But we will remain ever vigilant,” he said.
De la Cruz said the provincial and municipal disaster councils have “full awareness” of “critical areas” where people are most endangered by both floods and landslides.
“They have prepared trucks and boats that would be needed to rescue endangered folk and even carry out preemptive forced evacuations if necessary,” he said, as he noted that flooding has not subsided in some parts of Central Luzon since storm Ondoy last Sept. 26. He cited the case of Calumpit and Hagonoy in Bulacan where flooding remained deep in some barangays as floodwaters from higher areas continued to flow towards the two towns.
De la Cruz said that the RDCC has also stockpiled on relief goods that might be needed at evacuation centers if people have again to be moved out of endangered areas.
