Heeding government advice to prepare for the worst, families in Samar have sought refuge in caves to escape the wrath of super typhoon “Pepito,” the seventh storm to hit the country in almost as many weeks.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. directed all government agencies to prepare for the worst and appealed to Filipinos to take all safety precautions against the severe weather disturbance.

In a news forum on Saturday, Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Administrator Ariel Nepomuceno said the President ordered 45 agencies of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) to be ready, saying it’s better to be “over prepared” than to come up short.

Fearing a destructive storm similar to “Yolanda,” dozens of families in a coastal village in Marabut, Samar, fled to caves for shelter.

On Friday, dozens of families started to evacuate to Tinabanan Cave as weather reports said the strong typhoon was headed for Eastern Visayas.

Barangay Tinabanan Sangguniang Kabataan chairperson Nico Baldo said some 20 families slept inside the cave on Friday while other families started to head there on Saturday morning when heavy rains and strong winds were starting to be felt.

Natural shield

Baldo said Tinabanan Cave has been the traditional haven for the residents during disasters — either natural or manmade — such as the strong typhoons “Yolanda,” “Ruby” and “Odette.”

At the height of the communist insurgency in the 1990s, village residents would hide inside the cave when news of possible communist attacks spread.

In World War II, the cave protected residents from Japanese air attacks during the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

Nepomuceno said some evacuees during the previous storm, “Ofel,” were not allowed to return to their homes as “Pepito” is expected to hit the same provinces.

“At this time, we have not sent them home, in part thanks to our local government units. There are those who are still in evacuation centers, 11,448 families are still at the evacuation centers, that is 35,335 individuals,” he said.

Some residents, however, still refused to leave their homes.

Nepomuceno urged them to listen to their local government officials and evacuate to safer areas.

“Let’s just follow them because we should be done with the old beliefs hoping that the storm will dissipate, that it will not pass, or that the rains will not be heavy. Let’s stop there, because it may harm you,” he said.

“It’s better if we shift our attitude towards this, we should be in what is called preparation for the worst possible impact of the storm — the worst-case scenario planning,” he added.

10-M seen affected

The government expects 10 million Filipinos to be affected by the series of storms.

According to Nepomuceno, this is part of the government’s “conservative planning” which includes the preparation of family food packs, hygiene and medical kits, machinery and manpower.

Pursuant to the President’s directive to preposition teams and relief, the OCD said rescue teams as well as government assets, including personnel from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, are in position.

These teams are in Regions I to V, including those already on standby comprising 3,813 personnel spread over 493 teams.

Nepomuceno also underscored the importance of local government units and their role as first responders.

“The capabilities of local governments are important because they are actually there, in the critical first hours while the strong storm is there,” he said, noting that the role of the national government is to augment resources and bring in reinforcements.

According to weather bureau PAGASA, there is a high risk of life-threatening storm surges with peak heights exceeding three feet in the low-lying and exposed coastlines of the Ilocos Region, Isabela, Central Luzon, Metro Manila, CALABARZON, Marinduque, Bicol Region, Northern Samar, Samar, Eastern Samar and Biliran.

“Pepito” is forecast to move generally west-northwestward within the next three days, most likely making landfall in Catanduanes.

All sea vessels were ordered back to shore and people in coastal communities were told to leave their homes.

The continuous storms, which the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration described as unusual, have killed 163 people thus far. The storm chain has left thousands homeless and wiped out crops and livestock.

Listen, act

With wind gusts up to 215 kilometers per hour, some 255,000 people have already been evacuated from their homes in regions that are vulnerable to landslides, flooding and storm surges, Interior Undersecretary Marlo Iringan said.

Speaking over local radio station DWPM, Iringan pleaded for people to listen to the news, follow the instructions of local officials, and leave their homes early to avoid endangering their lives.

“If preemptive evacuation is required, let us do so and not wait for the hour of peril before evacuating or seeking help because if we did that, we would be putting in danger not only our lives but also those of our rescuers,” he said.

Scientists have warned climate change is increasing the intensity of storms, leading to heavier rains, flash floods and stronger gusts.

About 20 big storms and typhoons hit the Philippines and its surrounding waters each year, killing scores of people, but it is rare for multiple weather events to take place in a small window.

Evacuation centers were filling up on Catanduanes island in the typhoon-prone Bicol region, which will bear the brunt of the typhoon when it makes landfall.

More than 400 people were squeezed into the provincial government building in the capital Virac, with new arrivals being sent to a gymnasium, provincial disaster officer Roberto Monterola said.

“The Rawis gym has a history of typhoon damage so people are afraid to go there,” Monterola said.

“The upper walls are made of glass which could shatter if hit by a strong gust of wind and they could get injured.”

Monterola said he has dispatched soldiers to force about 100 households in two coastal villages near Virac to move inland due to fears storm surges could swamp their homes.

“Regardless of the exact landfall point, heavy rainfall, severe winds and storm surges may occur in areas outside the predicted landfall zone,” the weather forecaster said Saturday.

Pepito will continue to intensify as it nears the Philippines and could “reach super typhoon category within the next hours prior to its landfall tonight”, the forecaster said.

All vessels — from fishing boats to oil tankers — have been ordered to stay in port or return to shore.

The volcanology agency also warned heavy rain dumped by Pepito could trigger flows of volcanic sediment, or lahar, from three volcanos, including Taal, south of Manila.