PCG on heightened alert as 'Kiko' threatens northern Luzon
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) remained on heightened alert Friday, September 10, to provide immediate assistance to areas threatened by typhoon “Kiko.”
PCG Commandant Vice Admiral Leopoldo Laroya has ordered the Coast Guard District Northeastern and Northwestern Luzon to ensure that rescue teams are all-set for evacuation and rescue operations in flood-prone areas including Batanes, Cagayan, and Northern Isabela.
“We learned so much during our operations amid Typhoon Ulysses last year that left major damages in the Cagayan Valley region. The PCG cannot do it on its own. We need the support of our stakeholders and the general public to lessen, if not prevent, the loss of lives during typhoon season,” Laroya said.
The newly-installed PCG Commandant also instructed all the concerned personnel to prepare assets in order to assist districts that may need augmentation forces.
Meanwhile, Coast Guard personnel in Luzon districts reminded fishermen and mariners to avoid conducting fishing ventures at sea during harsh weather conditions.
“We understand our fishermen who endure inclement weather so that they can provide food for their families. Even more so now pandemic, we understand their need to continue to work and earn,” Laroya said.
“We appeal to our fishermen to make their safety a priority because when accident came in the middle of the sea, the situation of their families will be even more difficult,” he added.
The PCG Auxiliary units have also been ordered to prepare for relief operations and humanitarian missions in areas that will be most affected by the typhoon.
Typhoon "Kiko" (international name "Chanthu") has slightly intensified while moving towards the extreme portion of northern Luzon, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said on Friday noon, Sept. 10.