Marcos to gov’t agencies: Alert LGUs vulnerable to storm surges

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Friday ordered concerned government agencies to inform local government units (LGUs) that are vulnerable to storm surges.

Marcos, speaking at a situation briefing held at the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, said LGUs at high risk of storm surges, as indicated in the geohazard map, must be given specific guidance about the weather conditions.

Acknowledging that the occurrence of storm surges could be fatal, Marcos said the country must draw lessons from previous typhoons that triggered storm surges, including Super Typhoon "Yolanda" (Haiyan), which claimed at least 6,000 lives in November 2013.

“The response in Yolanda was actually mistaken because we moved back from the high-water mark. That’s not the test. The test is the height above the storm surge. So, if it’s three meters, we have to look at the topographical map and see where three meters is, above the high-water mark,” he noted.

The President emphasized that LGUs must prepare for a “worst-case scenario.”

Communities in vulnerable areas must take additional measures beyond preparing for strong winds and heavy rains, he added.

“We have to get them to the high ground. It’s not enough to move them away from the sea. We have to get them to high ground. That’s the only thing that we can do when there is a storm surge,” Marcos further pointed out.

Marcos said he is anticipating the impact of Pepito, which is expected to reach super typhoon category by Saturday night, while addressing concerns over food security during the storm’s onslaught.

Marcos noted that the government might need to import 4.5 million tons of rice due to agricultural losses caused by the recent typhoons.

“But we have already in place the prices of rice. Imported rice has gone down significantly since last year. We are not in competition like during the El Niño period,” Marcos said.

“Of course, we are doing everything to control the price of food, especially all of those products that have been damaged or destroyed by Pepito. Not only Pepito but the whole series of typhoons that have come — six typhoons in three weeks,” he added.

Meanwhile, Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla announced that forced evacuations will be implemented in areas at risk of storm surges.

“The mandatory evacuation will be done in coastal areas of Eastern Visayas, Bicol Region, Calabarzon, and Cagayan Valley starting Friday night,” Remulla told reporters.

Additionally, Remulla cautioned that Catanduanes and Camarines Sur are expected to be the hardest-hit areas during the typhoon.