BAGUIO CITY — The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) has issued a storm surge warning for coastal areas in the provinces of Cagayan and Isabela as tropical depression (TD) “Crising” neared. 

The weather agency urged residents to take necessary precautions.

According to PAGASA in its announcement on Thursday, a storm surge of one to two meters is a possibility.

In Cagayan, the warning covers Abulug, Aparri, Baggao, Ballesteros, Buguey, Calayan, Claveria, Gattaran, Gonzaga, Lal-lo, Pamplona, Peñablanca, Sanchez-Mira, Sta. Ana and Sta. Teresita. For Isabela, the towns of Dinapigue, Divilacan, Maconacon and Palanan are under the storm surge alert.

PAGASA urges the public to stay away from shorelines and cancel all sea activities due to the potential danger. The agency also advises continuous monitoring of their advisories, as more areas may be included in future warnings.

The Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) said it has intensified all preparedness measures to mitigate the impacts of the enhanced southwest monsoon (habagat) and presence of TD “Crising” within the Philippine Area of Responsibility.

In a phone interview on Thursday, OCD spokesperson Junie Castillo said all operation centers of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) have been placed into red alert status.

“Which means that all of our response agencies are already equipped with our prepositions, our personnel, our response equipment, all of these are already equipped,” he said.

As of 3 a.m. Thursday, “Crising” was located 530 km east of Juban, Sorsogon, with maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometer per hour (km/h) and gusts of up to 70 km/h.

TD “Crising” is moving west-northwestward and is expected to strengthen into a tropical storm within the day.

Landfall is forecast by Friday night over the northern part of Cagayan or Isabela, with the cyclone projected to cross over Northern Luzon through Saturday and exit PAR by Sunday.

TD “Crising” is likely to bring heavy rainfall, which may trigger flooding and landslides, particularly in vulnerable and low-lying areas.

City on red alert

Even if the city will not be directly hit, Baguio Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong has escalated Baguio’s emergency alert status to red due to “Crising.”

“Crising,” enhanced by the southwest monsoon, is expected to bring heavy rainfall to Northern Luzon over the next three days. Magalong on Thursday issued Memorandum No. 14, series of 2025 directing key city departments to be ready for immediate deployment starting today. These include the Smart City Command Center (SC3), CDRRMO, Public Information Office, and Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Committees. Their mandate is to coordinate with warning and frontline agencies.

During the pre-disaster risk assessment meeting, Julius Santos of the CDRRMO Operations Unit urged barangay officials to monitor their areas. He stressed the need for preemptive evacuations in areas prone to landslides or flooding.

Evacuation efforts require coordination with CDRRMC and the Baguio City Police Office to ensure public safety and security. BCPO and the Bureau of Fire Protection-Baguio will act as first responders, providing support for rescue operations and implementing evacuations when necessary.

All Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Committees were told to activate their Emergency Operations Centers, monitor their jurisdictions, and provide emergency response. They are also to advise residents in flood and landslide-prone areas to evacuate as needed.

The City Health Services Office will activate Health Emergency Response Teams and ensure all District Health Centers are accessible.

Food packs

Meanwhile, with more than three million boxes of family food packs (FFPs) prepositioned nationwide, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said it is well-prepared to provide relief items to families who will be needing aid.

At the regular weekly press briefing, Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao of the DSWD’s Disaster Response Management Group said the agency is coordinating closely with local government units to ensure the swift delivery of relief supplies, particularly in areas that might be heavily affected by the tropical cyclone.

Dumlao, who is also the DSWD spokesperson, said that aside from the 3-million boxes of FFPs in 934 storage facilities nationwide, the agency also has a stockpile of P773,134,509 worth of non-food items (NFIs) such as family, hygiene, kitchen and sleeping kits; water containers; and other shelter materials that may be needed inside evacuation centers.

The DSWD’s disaster preparedness is anchored on the agency’s “Buong Bansa Handa,” a program launched in 2023 based on the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for fail-safe mechanisms in the country’s supply chains during times of calamities.