The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) maintained its "red alert" status Friday, May 14, as tropical depression (TD) "Crising" is expected to barrel through the country toward the Sulu Sea.

A red alert status means that the NDRRMC's regular duty personnel and operations service alert teams must remain on duty 24/7 to respond to any emergency or calamity.
In a situational report, NDRRMC Executive Director Ricardo Jalad said the National Operations Center (NDRRMC OpCen) had been continuously monitoring Crising's location to ensure the dissemination of weather and general flood advisories to affected areas.
As of this posting, the NDRRMC has yet to receive any report of casualty or damage caused by Crising.
This notwithstanding, it said the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has ensured that all transport logistics assets are ready for deployment for the distribution of relief assistance to the affected areas.
The DSWD, it noted, has more than P1.2 billion in stockpile and standby funds that are ready to be utilized.
Crising was located in the vicinity of Marawi City, Lanao del Sur around 7 a.m. Friday, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
It was moving west, northwestward at a speed of 15 kilometers per hour (kmph) while packing a maximum sustained winds of 45 kmph near the center and gustiness of up to 75 kmph.
The affected areas were Zamboanga Peninsula, Davao Oriental, Davao de Oro, Davao del Norte, Davao City, Davao del Sur, Cotabato, Maguindanao, Bukidnon, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, and Misamis Occidental.
The state weather bureau said isolated flash flooding and rain-induced landslides "are possible" during heavy or prolonged rainfall especially in areas that are highly susceptible to these hazards.