Emergency gear are readied in Mandaue City as Typhoon Odette nears Cebu. | Mandaue PIO photo
MANDAUE CITY, Cebu—Mandaue City has readied the necessary things needed for the possible onslaught of Typhoon Odette.
Mandaue City and the entire Cebu Island have been placed under Storm Signal No. 1 as of Wednesday, December 15, 2021.
Currently, the city is placed under Blue Alert Status, which means that disaster personnel and emergency response are on standby.
But Buddy Alain Ybañez, head of the city’s Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, said they will be upgrading to red alert status on Wednesday evening as Odette draws near.
He said that all their 146 personnel will be recalled to be on standby.
“Ang mahitabo if red alert na, all personnel sa CDRRMO are present maski katong nag-duty, wa na’y uliay,” Ybañez said.
Mayor Jonas Cortes said evacuation centers in all the city’s barangays have been readied just in case there will be residents, especially those living in low-lying and flood-prone areas, who need to be evacuated.
The Mandaue City Social Welfare and Services has also already readied its stockpile of relief goods containing rice, canned goods, mat, comforter, mosquito net, among others.
Cortes has directed the CSWS as well as the Typhoon Emergency Operation Center to be on standby for 24 hours.
The mayor said their personnel from the City Engineering Office, General Services Office, and the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue are also on standby for support in case of any incident that may occur in the city.
Ybañez said that the barangays’ response team and equipment were already checked.
He said that they already started the conduct of recorida to the city’s barangays especially those in low-lying areas.
The CDRRMO continues to monitor the track of Odette at their command center.
/bmjo
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