CAGAYAN -- The Cagayan Valley Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CVDRRMC) and the different concerned agencies have been on red alert in preparation for an impending landfall of tropical depression ‘Florita.’
Based on the information provided by the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Region 02, the red alert was raised at around 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 21.
On the forecast track, Florita is projected to make landfall either in Cagayan or the northern part of Isabela in the early morning hours or afternoon of Tuesday (Aug. 23).
Afterwards, the center of ‘Florita’ will move west northwestward and cross several provinces in Northern Luzon before exiting to the West Philippine Sea on Wednesday morning, Aug. 24.
Florita is reportedly approaching the coast off Cagayan province at a speed of over 25 kilometers per hour. It is expected to bring heavy rain and winds to the region starting Monday, Aug. 22, which also marks the first day of the school year and face-to-face classes.
The Cagayan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) has on standby, and so are the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMOs), Philippine National Police (PNP), and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
The ‘no sail, no fishing and no swimming’ policy in seas and rivers is now being implemented.
Operation Listo, an advocacy program of the Department of Interior and Local Government which aims to strengthen disaster preparedness of LGUs using the whole-of-government approach, is also being implemented.