LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte, Sept 19 (PNA) –As typhoon Mario threatens Northern Luzon, Ilocanos in this province are on full alert status while the Provincial, City and Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils had been activated since Thursday midnight.
As of this posting, tropical storm Mario has intensified and maintained its course towards Northern Luzon with maximum winds of 85 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 100kph, said a weather bulletin of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAG-ASA).
As Ilocos Norte is now on typhoon signal no. 2, light to moderate rains is currently being experienced in some parts of the province as classes in both primary and secondary schools were suspended Friday.
Search and rescue teams from the Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine Coastguard are now stationed in strategic places of Ilocos Norte while heavy equipment and rubber boats were already in place near flood prone areas in the towns of Paoay, Batac, Solsona and Dingras.
In Bacarra town, a resiliency drill facilitated by the Provincial Resiliency Task Force is on-going in the coastal villages of Natba and Casilian. During heavy rainfall, these villages are often isolated when the Bislak river of nearby Vintar town overflows.
Meanwhile, Batac city mayor Jeffrey Nalupta said the City and Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils are automatically on red alert status, advising all team leaders to report at the City hall command center.(PNA)
