Gov. Pacoy leads disaster preparedness for typhoon ‘Ompong’

September 14, 2018 Provincial

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, LA UNION – Governor Francisco Emmanuel “Pacoy” R. Ortega III directed the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) headed by Aureliano F. Rulloda III to prepare all necessary measures in anticipation of the onset of the super typhoon “Ompong” during the emergency response and preparedness meeting held on Thursday, September 13, 2018 at the Diego Silang Hall, Provincial Capitol, here.
Ompong, with maximum sustained winds of 205kph and gustiness up to 255kph, is expected to hit the Northern part of the country, which includes La Union, on Friday, September 14, with possible flashfloods and landslides due to severe thunderstorms.
To ensure preparedness and safety of constituents, the governor issued Executive Order 15 Series of 2018 Declaring a provincewide suspension of classes in all levels in public and private schools, and suspension of work in all government and private institutions on September 14-15 due to said typhoon. This overrides all other issuance released by local government units within the province.
He also tasked the PDRRMO to coordinate with all concerned offices for disaster response operations. Municipal and city disaster risk reduction and management offices activated their respective operation centers and evacuation centers were prepared.
The provincial social welfare and development office prepared family food packs for disaster relief operations. They were also tasked to closely coordinate with city and municipal social welfare offices for significant updates on their preparedness levels and actions.
Personnel of the provincial engineering office were alerted for possible deployment. They were also tasked to take part in search, rescue and retrieval operations and road cleaning activities. Medical teams of the provincial health office were put on code white alert status and are ready for deployment.
The governor advised the public to remain updated on developments regarding “Ompong.” Joanna C. Guerrero, OPG-Media and Public Information Unit