The government assured that all hands are on deck in executing necessary responses to affected communities as typhoon Odette hits the country, Malacañang said Thursday afternoon, Dec. 16.
Acting Presidential Spokesperson Karlo Nograles in a statement said that all frontline government agencies ensure that necessary quick response are done as "Odette" made landfall Thursday afternoon.
While quick responses are already in place, Nograles advised the public to cooperate with authorities in case immediate evacuation in their areas are needed.
"We continue to remind the public, especially those in typhoon-affected regions, to take the necessary precautionary measures and cooperate with respective authorities should there be a need for immediate evacuation in your areas," the Cabinet Secretary said.
As of 2 p.m. Thursday, weather forecasters raised tropical cyclone warning signal no. 4 in Southern Leyte, the southwestern portion of Leyte, Bohol, the central and southern portions of Cebu in the Visayas, and Dinagat Islands and Surigao del Norte including Siargao and Bucas Grande Islands in Mindanao.
READ MORE: Tropical Cyclone 'Odette' Tracker
Nograles said the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), including its field offices, "has available disaster response standby funds and family food packs prepositioned in different strategic areas in the typhoon-affected regions."
He disclosed that as of 11 a.m. Thursday, concerned government agencies have pre-emptively evacuated a total of 98,091 persons from Region 7, Region 8, Region 10, and Caraga region.