President Marcos has ordered agencies and local government units (LGUs) to warn communities that are vulnerable to storm surge as typhoon Pepito enters the Philippines and threatens to cause up to three-meter storm surge in several areas within its path.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) issued a warning of storm surge on Friday morning, Nov. 15, that can go up to three meters in southeastern Quezon, Bicol, and parts of Samar.
"The new feature here that we have to deal with is the storm surge because that's as fatal as a regular typhoon," Marcos said in a situation briefing on typhoons Pepito, Ofel, and Nika on Friday afternoon.
"Let us not forget the lessons of storm surge. Again to go back to Yolanda, the problem is we were telling everybody na magkaka-storm surge, nobody knew what storm surge was. We should've just said tsunami, the people would have left the coast," Marcos added.
The President told concerned agencies to be specific in giving advisories to the local government units in terms of the storm surge.
"So that's why we have to give very specific guidance to the LGUs as to how to deal with the storm surge," he said.
"Again I know that the critical element when it comes to storm surge is not the distance from the high tide mark but it is the elevation above the high water mark, that is the key element. If it's a three meters storm surge, we have to get people at least five meters above that level," he added.
According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), based on the storm surge warning issued by PAGASA at 8 a.m. Friday, a total of 149 LGUs have storm surge warning. It can affect more than 1.9-million individuals within areas at risk.
On its strom surge warning as of 2 p.m. Friday, PAGASA said a moderate to high risk of storm surge may occur within the nest 48 hours in affected provinces.
An estimated storm surge forecast of 1 to 2 meters high were issued over the provinces of Aurora, Batangas, Biliran, Camarines Sur, Leyte, Marinduque, Masbate, Quezon, Romblon, and Western Samar; while 2.1 meters to 3 meters high storm surge warning were issued over Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Eastern Samar, Masbate, Northern Samar, Quezon, and Sorsogon.
Worst-case scenario warning
While Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Renato Solidum encouraged local chief executives to continuously monitor the storm surge forecast through the PAGASA's surge forecast model, Marcos also told the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to already give out the worst-case scenario warning in areas at risk of storm surge.
"Mr. President, can we request also the local chief executives to monitor the monitoring agencies. When it comes to surge modeling, this is forecast model, so as the typhoon gets closer, and sometimes it would increase in strength, we can change the color, it can be higher than three (meters) at some point," Solidum said during the briefing.
"Once we release a new bulletin or information, even though it's closer to the eastern side of Central Luzon baka may threat din ang storm surge 'yan, so imo-model din po yun pag lumalapit ang bagyo (it might also be at risk of storm surge, we will also include that in the model as the typhoon approaches)," Solidum said.
He noted that "what we presented today is just for this time but it can change."
Marcos for his part told the DILG that "if it is inevitable, at least scientifically speaking, if it is inevitable that it will strengthen, the warnings you should be giving out are already worst case kasi doon din pupunta, e (because it will eventually lead to that)."
The Chief Executive stressed that storm surge "seems to be a significant one" to deal with as typhoon Pepito approaches.
"Because if we are talking about three meters that's almost one floor. So kailangan talaga nating abisuhan ang mga LGUs na nakikita natin na baka abutan ng storm surge (So we really need to advise the LGUs of the risk of storm surge)," he said in an interview after the situation briefing.
"We have a very little time to do it because ang forecast is that we will start feeling the storm by tomorrow...The rainfall is going to be comparable with Kristine and we hope...that's why we are doing all that we can to warn people to prepare," he said.
According to PAGASA's rainfall outlook issued at 11 a.m. Friday, intense to torrential rainfall or over 200 millimeters is expected from Saturday noon to Sunday noon in Catanduanes, Albay, Sorsogon, and Northern Samar, which may lead to widespread flooding and landslides.