Over 400 families evacuated in Misamis Oriental due to Odette

At least 408 families have been evacuated in Misamis Oriental as the province was placed under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) No. 2 due to Typhoon Odette.

Misamis Oriental Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) head Fernando Vincent Dy Jr. said 158 families were evacuated in Lagonglong town, 100 in the municipality of Tagoloan, and 133 in Gingoog City.

There were seven, six, and four families evacuated in the towns of Binuangan, Villanueva, and Balingoan, respectively.

Dy said that they had been preparing since Monday prior to the storm's entry into the Philippine Area of Responsibility following an order from Misamis Oriental Governor Yevgeny Vincente Emano.

Some areas already conducted preemptive evacuations, while other municipalities followed suit after weather bureau PAGASA placed Misamis Oriental, along with 11 other provinces, under a red rainfall warning at 11 a.m. 

This warning means that severe flooding in flood-prone areas and near river channels, as well as rain-induced landslides are expected.

All emergency vehicles, according to Dy, are already parked in front of the provincial capitol, ready for deployment, while the local Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) continues to prepare relief supplies.

“We have already sent food packs to the municipality of Tagoloan. So far, ayon pa lang ang naghingi ng ayuda sa atin (they were the only ones asking for assistance),” Dy said at the Laging Handa briefing.

He also stated that all relevant agencies, such as the local police force and the Army, are prepared to assist with any search and rescue activities.

Medical personnel are also on standby in case of an emergency.

“Nakastandby na rin ang walong provincial hospitals natin, together with the eight chiefs of hospitals, which serve as our incident command centers in case kung may casualty itong bagyong Odette. Lahat, gamot, ready—everything’s in place,” Dy said.

(The eight provincial hospitals, together with their chiefs, are on standby to serve as our incident command centers in the event that Typhoon Odette causes casualties. Everything’s in place including medicines.)

Damaging winds reaching gale- to storm-force strength will be experienced in areas under Signal No. 2 that may bring generally light to moderate damage to structures and vegetation, PAGASA said.

Moderate to very high seas of up to 10 meters will be experienced over the seaboards of areas where TCWS is in effect, especially in the open sea areas, in the next 24 hours.

Dy said there have been no reports of flooding as of posting time.

“So far, sa awa ng Diyos, wala pa tayong reported na may binabaha na. Merong the usual na tumaas ang lebel ng tubig but hindi pa siya umaabot sa critical level,” he said.

(So far, by God’s grace, there is no reported flooding yet. There is the usual rise in the water level in some areas, but it has not yet reached the critical level yet.)

Odette was spotted 175 kilometers east of Surigao City as of 10 a.m. packing maximum sustained winds of 185 kilometers per hour and gustiness of up to 230 km/h.

The typhoon was moving west northwestward at 25 km/h. — VBL, GMA News