10,000 people, including tourists, forced to evacuate in N. Philippines ahead of storm

At least 10,000 people, including foreign and domestic tourists, were evacuated ahead of the expected landfall of tropical storm Maysak, locally named as Chedeng, in northern Philippine province of Aurora, a senior government official said Saturday.

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Assistant Secretary Vilma Cabrera said that aside from Auroa, other local government units of the provinces of Isabela, Cagayan, and Quirino were also directed to enforce pre-emptive evacuation.

The national government's Response Pillar, namely: Camp Coordination and Camp Management, Food and Non-Food, Search, Rescue & Retrieval, Law & Order, Emergency Telecommunications, Logistics, Health, International Humanitarian Relations, and Management of the Dead and Missing, have all been activated.

"This is to ensure that all the government agencies under the Response Pillar are ready for typhoon Chedeng," Cabrera said.

Meanwhile, the repacking of relief goods is ongoing at the DSWD- National Resource Operations Center in Pasay City. The Department' s employees and personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Bureau of Fire Protection were mobilized as volunteers.

Cabrera also assured that the government has enough relief supplies and that there is no need for international help at this time.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council comprising of various government agencies continues to step up their preparations, urging the public, especially residents in low lying and mountainous areas of the provinces with storm signals to be alert against possible flashflood and landslide.

Maysak has maximum sustain winds of 115 kilometers per hour and gusts of 145 kph.

It is expected to make landfall over the coast of Southern Isabela by Sunday morning, will exit the landmass via Ilocos Sur by Sunday afternoon and will exit the Philippine area of responsibility by Monday morning. Endi