OCD: 'Exposed' PH population to Typhoon Uwan at 30.8 million

Millions of Filipinos should brace for heavy rains and strong winds due to potential super typhoon Uwan (international name: Fung-wong) once it hits the country.

At a news forum on Saturday, Office of Civil Defense (OCD) spokesperson Junie Castillo said the total population of provinces exposed to Uwan is 30.8 million.

"Total population in coastal areas exposed to Typhoon Uwan… this is 1.6 million," Castillo said.

State weather bureau PAGASA reported in its 11 a.m. bulletin that Tropical Weather Cyclone Signal No. 2 was hoisted over eight areas in Luzon and the Visayas as Uwan rapidly intensified.

OCD's Castillo said "exposed population" means that "itong exposure na pinag-uusapan natin ay kung sino, saan ang hahagipin ng hangin, at mga dalang pag-ulan ng Bagyong Uwan (the exposure we are talking about here is who, where will the winds reach, and rains brought about by Typhoon Uwan)."

Further, Castillo said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Mines and Geosciences Bureau (DENR-MGB) has listed over 8,000 barangays "that are also exposed and prone to rain-induced landslides and flooding."

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., meanwhile, said Saturday all Philippine government agencies were on full alert for Uwan's impact.

DSWD analysis

Last Thursday, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said some 8.4 million Filipinos may be affected by Uwan.

Most of the possible affected population would be from the Ilocos Region with 3.5 million, Cagayan Valley with 2.03 million, and Cordillera Administrative Region with 1.4 million, according to DSWD's analysis, based on Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) 2020 data.

About 1.3 million individuals may also be affected in five Central Luzon provinces, while many others were also at risk in Quezon province, Occidental Mindoro, and Catanduanes.

The country is bracing for the impact of Uwan, which is expected to make landfall over the southern portion of Isabela or the northern section of Aurora on Sunday evening or Monday early morning.

It has yet to recover from Tino's impact, which left a trail of destruction in the Visayas and Mindanao and 204 reported deaths.

Multiple local and national government agencies have appealed to the public over the past days to take necessary precautions in view of Uwan's potential for disaster. — VDV, GMA Integrated News