Manila: The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has placed its disaster response units on high alert ahead of the expected entry of a super typhoon into the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR). DSWD Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao on Monday said the agency has checked the strategic deployment of relief resources to ensure the immediate augmentation of local government units (LGUs) along the typhoon's projected path.
According to Philippines News Agency, the DSWD has 4.775 million family food packs worth more than PHP3 billion prepositioned nationwide, based on the Disaster Response Operations Monitoring, Information, and Communication report as of 6 a.m. Monday. The agency also has 364,283 ready-to-eat food boxes and 271,446 non-food items ready for immediate distribution to affected families. The preparations follow President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s directive to strategically position food packs and non-food items before disasters strike.
"The Department remains fully prepared for any disaster as a new typhoon enters the PAR, and as directed by President Marcos Jr., our primary goal is to ensure zero delays in the distribution of relief to communities isolated by heavy rainfall," Dumlao said. Dumlao urged residents in low-lying and flood-prone areas to heed safety advisories issued by their local disaster risk reduction and management offices.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the incoming super typhoon named Bavi packs maximum sustained winds of 205 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 250 kph. PAGASA forecasts indicate that the cyclone may enter PAR between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, at which point it will be assigned the local name Inday.
Current forecast tracks show a low probability of landfall over the Philippine mainland, with the super typhoon expected to move northwestward toward Taiwan and Japan's Ryukyu Islands. However, forecasters said the weather system may pass near extreme Northern Luzon, particularly Batanes, by the weekend.
