HOUNDED by the bitter lessons and sad memories of Supertyphoon Yolanda (international code name Haiyan) and how it dealt the past administration one of its most serious public-relations crises, the Duterte administration led the nation on a three-day exercise to prepare everyone for the strongest typhoon to hit the country this year, Ompong (international code name Mangkhut).
The great battening down was punctuated by a nationally televised command conference in Camp Aguinaldo late Thursday presided by President Duterte, with key Cabinet members and heads of relevant agencies in attendance.
His marching orders, among others: members of his Cabinet who come from the Northern Luzon areas expected to be hardest-hit by Ompong must go to their home provinces to personally supervise preparations and post-storm action.
At least 4.3 million people live in areas directly threatened by Ompong.
On Friday, 24 hours before Ompong was expected to hit land in Cagayan Valley, the battening down went into full gear, following a checklist of sorts that the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) had drilled into everyone, taking a leaf from past experience. Especially, it was obvious, from the bitter lessons of 2013’s Yolanda (death toll 6,000 plus) and 2009’s Ondoy, where the casualty count was lower at 300-plus but where images of massive, prolonged flooding stunned the world.
Authorities kept close watch of dams, airports and seaports, bridges, roads and highways, especially in those at risk from landslides and mudslides.
They prepositioned equipment for road clearing and repairs, for rescue and cargo lifting; as well as millions worth of relief goods needed for at least the first 72 hours.
Power plants and telecommunications facilities, as well as other structures vital to the first few hours—and during—the typhoon were checked for stability, safety and efficiency.
The battening down was across all levels of government, national to local down to the barangays, and across all sectors.
The national checklist: land, sea, air
Actually, days before Ompong entered the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR), among the first to swing into action was the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
All regional and district engineering offices of the DPWH were undertaking preparatory activities to mitigate possible damage from Ompong on vital roads and bridges, and public infrastructure.
As early as Tuesday, September 11, 2018, Public Works Secretary Mark A. Villar issued a memorandum directing the mobilization of DPWH Regional and District Disaster Response Teams nationwide for preparatory activities to ensure structural integrity of vital roads, bridges and high-rise public buildings.
In coordination with the weather bureau Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), the Office of Civil Defense, Philippine Army, Philippine National Police (PNP), local government units (LGUs), the DPWH Disaster Response Teams—with heavy equipment and necessary logistical needs—were deployed along strategic locations to monitor and submit reports on national roads and bridges every six hours and provide prompt assistance during the onset of typhoon.
Equipment with operators were prepositioned along vital road sections and close to landslide-prone areas to promptly clear debris and restorate, or provide alternatives to, collapsed bridges and cut roads and ensure mobility of disaster-response activities.
Besides ensuring the safety of land travelers, authorities had their hands full watching all travel by water. On Friday morning, the Marina, or maritime industry regulator, announced the cancellation of all passenger vessel trips at the Port of Ormoc City in Leyte, as precaution against the typhoon. Similar precautions were taken at the Matnog terminal in Sorsogon, where ferries going to Allen, Samar, begin to sail.
In Cagayan Valley officials declared a “no sail and no fishing zone.”
While Northern and Central Luzon were earlier listed as the ones at risk from Ompong, the enlargement of the typhoon’s diameter prompted precautionary measures further down south, especially Bicol region and Eastern Visayas, the ground zero for Yolanda.
Officials at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia), still reeling from the fallout from the August 16 accident involving a Xiamen Airways plane that veered from runway 24 during heavy rain, were apparently not taking chances. They announced it will be closed to operations when Ompong strikes.
Airport General Manager Ed Monreal, meeting with members of the Airline Operators Council, told the AOC to forward their advisories regarding planned cancellations or delays in flight schedules, “so we can disseminate the information to all passengers and employees who will be affected by the typhoon.”
NDRRMC: P1.7-B food packs
The NDRRMC prepositioned and also put on standby some P1.7 billion worth of food packs and other relief assistance in preparation for Ompong the day it entered the PAR.
Ompong, the NDRRMC noted, directly threatens extreme Northern Luzon, which is still reeling from the effects of the previous typhoon and the southwest monsoon.
NDRRMC Spokesman Edgar Posadas said the standby aid would complement the prepositioned food packs for residents in the provinces of Cagayan, Abra, Isabela, Batanes, Kalinga and Apayao, and the Ilocos provinces.
“The DSWD has ensured the availability of P1.7 billion worth of standby funds and stockpiles, and the prepositioning of food and nonfood items for possible response and relief efforts,” he said.
Search, rescue
The Armed Forces of the Philippines Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) alerted all of its units to ready for search and rescue operations for the typhoon.
Nolcom commander Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Salamat said all ground forces were already deployed for humanitarian assistance and disaster-response operations.
Air and sea assets from the Air Force and the Navy were also readied for the operations.
Metro Manila
Though not in the direct path of the typhoon, Metro Manila—notorious for its flash floods—was braced for the worst.
The Metro Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (MMDRRMC) urged Metro LGUs and member-agencies to aim for zero casualty.
“All 17 LGUs in Metro Manila, concerned agencies are all prepared. Manpower and equipment are already prepositioned ahead of the typhoon, which is likely to be felt on Friday,” said Director Romulo Cabantac Jr., MMDRMC senior vice chairman.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority’s Metrobase Command Center, host of the 24-hour Crisis Monitoring and Management Center that serves as primary headquarters during calamity, emergency and other crisis situations in Metro Manila, has been readied.
One of the LGUs most cited for disaster preparedness, Makati City, also announced measures it had taken to prepare for Ompong. Mayor Abby Binay led officials at the Meteorological Assessment Prediction briefing on Thursday afternoon.
Like most LGUs expected to experience Ompong, Binay ordered the suspension of classes at all levels for both public and private schools in Makati on Friday, September 14, until Saturday, September 15.
The Makati Command Control and Communication Center was closely monitoring Pagasa weather bulletins, while the city’s frontline agencies for disaster response were on high alert and ready for, among others, the evacuation of residents from flood-prone areas, if needed.
NGOs helping communities in at-risk places also went into high gear. “We haven’t seen a typhoon this powerful hit the Philippines in some time. We’re particularly concerned about those living in coastal and low-lying communities, which are set to face ferocious winds, heavy rainfall and flooding, as well as the risk of storm surge,” Save the Children Philippines CEO Alberto Muyot said.
Save the Children deployed a five-member emergency team to Santiago, Luzon, ahead of the storm’s arrival, and prepositioned relief items positioned across the country, including thousands of household, hygiene and back-to-school kits. “We are hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. Once the storm passes, our team will work with local authorities and other aid agencies to assess the scale of devastation caused by the typhoon, and determine what the needs are of those affected,” Muyot said.
The Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System issued a “red alert” for the storm on Wednesday, warning that more than 42 million people could be affected across the Philippines and southern China.
Image credits: Recto Mercene, DPWH Photo, Nonie Reyes