P1.7B in goods on standby ahead of ‘supertyphoon’ Ompong’s entry

The Department of Social Welfare and Development has earmarked P1.7 billion worth of standby fund, food and non-food items ahead of typhoon Ompong which is expected to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Wednesday night.

This developed after the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Operations Center raised its alert status to blue as of 5 pm on Monday amid tropical depression Neneng and less than 48 hours before Ompong's entry.

The Emergency Telecommunications Cluster also convened to discuss preparations and ensure that communication lines will remain open when Ompong hits the country.

The uniformed services such as the military, police, firefighters and coastguard, on the other hand, are also on standby for possible deployment as the need arises.

Residents in concerned areas were already advised to prepare early and heed calls for preemptive evacuation. Tourists, on the other hand, are strongly encouraged to postpone activities such as surfing, caving, and mountaineering until the weather disturbance is over.

The next pre-disaster risk assessment meetingWednesday, September 12. It is during this meeting wherein the weather bureau PAGASA will be presenting a Storm Surge Analysis to enable concerned areas to prepare against possible storm surge attacks.

Last but not the least, the government has called on the public to share reliable and credible information based on the PAGASA’s latest updates. —Llanesca Panti/NB, GMA News