Philippines: Seek higher ground if your area is prone to storm surge, says science authority
Manila - Residents in communities with a forecast two- to three-meter (six to 11 feet) height of the storm surge are urged to seek higher ground and take extra precautions as typhoon Glenda lashes out strong rains in the country.
Deparment of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Mario Montejo urged the public to stay informed and be prepared in the face of the approaching typhoon by using weather bulletin from PAGASA and complementary information from models generated by Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (Project NOAH) and the 3D mapping models from the Disaster Risk and Exposure Assessment for Mitigation (Project DREAM).
“Information is a vital tool that we can use to plan wisely for natural hazards such as typhoons and thus reduce our losses. Based on our experience from past typhoons, we call on the public to heed the warnings issued by our monitoring and warning agencies and to not second-guess them because we are using the best tools available,” noted Montejo.
“We enjoin every Filipino and our communities to remain alert and follow the necessary precautions and guidelines to keep safe. Our best tool to prevent a disaster is ensuring everyone’s safety by using all the information available to us and the lessons from our experience in the past typhoons so that we can prevent too much disaster loss,” said Montejo.
“Those living in areas with storm surge alert warnings should seek and move to higher ground, especially if the area is low-lying or flat that will make it prone to inland inundation,” said Dr. Mahar Lagmay, executive director of DOST’s Project NOAH.
Dr. Lagmay recently attended the World Risk Summit in which he noted that the tools used by the Philippines are the latest and most advanced used by global meteorological stations.
The storm surge simulation and list of affected municipalities were posted on Project NOAH’s website and blog Monday night and were communicated by PAGASA, the state weather bureau and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
Montejo urged local disaster responders and the public to inquire with the warning agencies if they have further queries. You may call PAGASA at (63 2) 927 1541, 926 1993, and 926 6970. You may also follow it on Facebook.com/pagasa.dost.gov.ph and via Twitter @dost_pagasa for live updates. (DOST/PIA-Caraga)