QC deploys boats, rescue teams ahead of strong typhoon's onset

Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista has ordered the advance deployment of boats and rescue teams to the city's  flood-prone areas to prepare for the onslaught of Typhoon Ompong.

Quezon City's Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams were to be deployed beginning Thursday in critical areas, including Barangay Apolonio Samson, and the barangays along G. Araneta Avenue.

Other flood-prone areas, specifically Barangay Roxas and Barangay Silangan are also listed as deployment areas.

Bautista's order was made after a risk assessment meeting of the Quezon City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (QCDRRMC).

Meanwhile, Quezon City has also suspended classes in all levels (both public and private) for Friday and Saturday as part of preemptive public safety measure.

Also ordered were the trimming of trees along major thoroughfares by the Parks Development and Administration Department (PDAD); the rolling-up of billboards and tarpaulin signs in buildings; and the laying down of security plans at construction sites, including securing heavy equipment and tower cranes by construction firms.

Social workers will also be deployed by the city's Social Services Development Department, including the soup kitchen, as well as other relief items for evacuees in the flood-prone barangays.

Quezon City has a total of 84 evacuation centers in its six districts. City residents may dial 122 for emergency concerns. —Jamil Santos/LBG, GMA News