Cebuanos Told to Brace For 8 More Typhoons This Year

Cebuanos are told to be on guard for eight more typhoons to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility before the year ends.

Oscar Tabada, Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) regional director, said during the forum on “Disaster Preparedness for La Nina”, the track of typhoons at this time of the year passes by Cebu and the Visayas.

Tabada said the track of typhoons in the last quarter of the year usually starts from northern Mindanao heading up.

Typhoon Yolanda in 2013 happened in November.

“This is why there is a need for information dissemination on disaster preparedness in all levels and sectors of the community,” he said.

Tabada also agreed there is a lesser chance for the La Nina weather phenomenon to occur this year.

Key officials of Disaster Risk Reduction Management Offices (DRRMO) were also present, namely: Olivia Luces, RDRMMO; Baltazar Tribunalo Jr., PDRRMO; and Nagiel Banacia, Cebu City CDRRMO.

Luces said they have already conducted several trainings and workshops for trainers in the region.

She said they are coming up with an online course for trainers on handling Persons with Disabilities and Disaster Management.

Tribunalo, on the other hand, said that in a span of two months, they already reached out to 9,000 students all over the province in their information dissemination campaign.

They are targeting all schools in municipalities  in the province for disaster management and training before 2016 ends.

For Cebu City, Banacia said they are putting up a system wherein DRRM activities start in the family.

The forum was initiated by Kapisanan ng Brodcaster Cebu and Philippine Information Agency.

It is the second forum conducted in line with the celebration of the Cebu Press Freedom month this September. (rmn/fcc/PIA-Cebu)