THE Department of the Interior and Local Government has tasked the Local Government Units of the areas where the track of the Typhoon Marce is slated to pass through to conduct forced evacuations before the storm hits, according to Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr.
Teodoro said that forced evacuation of individuals is needed in areas that responders cannot reach.
“Ang mga municipal mayors at disaster risk reduction officers ay nire-require ng DILG: Number one, na mag-forced evacuation sa mga lugar na hindi maaabot ng ating mga pwersa,” Teodoro said.
“Normally ang ating kapulisan at ang armed forces ay nagbibigay ng saklolo. Ang hindi po maaabot ay pinag-eevacuate na po sa evacuation centers,” he added.
The said mandatory evacuation is aimed to ensure that there will be an orderly and continuous provision of health benefit, water, sanitation, and food supplies to the residents that will be reeling the effects of the storm
The DND chief met with officials of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) due to Marce.
For her part Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga said the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) had given a list of areas prone to floods, landslides, and big waves.
“Yung mga listahan po ng mga barangay ngayon binibigay po namin ‘yan dito po sa Office of Civil Defense para ma-distribute po nila ang information tungkol po sa likely scenario na tinatawag na kumbaga, posibleng mangyari dito po sa inyong mga pook ang landslide or flood,” she said.
“Sana gamitin po ito ng mga local officials natin dito sa pagdesisyon ng preemptive evacuation po,” she added.
Meanwhile, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. narrated that the military has already prepositioned search, rescue, and retrieval (SRR) teams in Northern Luzon.
“Ngayon po sa area ng Northern Luzon, meron po tayong mga 305 na SRR teams na naka-deploy, ready na po silang tumulong sa ating mga kababayan kapag dumating po itong Bagyong Marce,” he said.
DSWD Undersecretary Diana Rose Cajipe on the other hand said that the agency has 1,351,815 family food packs.
