LIVE UPDATES: Tropical Storm Ramil

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) Bicol advised the public to avoid all non-essential land travel effective Saturday, October 18, “particularly for vehicles bound for Masbate, Catanduanes, and the Visayas and Mindanao regions.”

The LTO Bicol said this is to “prevent congestion of vehicles along the Maharlika Highway” and at ports.

The Department of Agriculture estimated that 831,821 hectares of rice and 93,279 hectares of corn, or a total of 925,100 hectares of standing crops, might be affected by Tropical Depression Ramil in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Bicol, and Eastern Visayas.

Images from Department of Agriculture

Albay Governor Noel Rosal on Friday, October 17, ordered local government units in the province to ensure that residents in areas prone to hazards such as floods, landslides, storm surges, and lahar flows are brought to safer ground.

Rosal said the preemptive evacuation must be completed by 10 am on Saturday, October 18.

The Catanduanes Provincial Information Office said Governor Patrick Alain Azanza is “closely monitoring all concerns and preparations” as the province braces for the expected landfall of Ramil, which may hit Catanduanes as a tropical storm on Saturday afternoon, October 18.

During the meeting of the Catanduanes Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council on Friday, October 17, representatives of various government agencies reported that food and non-food items are prepositioned, evacuation centers are being readied, uniformed personnel are on standby for emergency response, and heavy equipment for road clearing operations are in place.

Azanza also suspended activities in public and private schools as well as government work for Saturday.

Coast Guard District Bicol reported that at least 757 passengers, 108 rolling cargoes, and 8 vessels have been stranded in various ports in the region as of 4 pm on Friday, October 17.

Photo from Coast Guard District Bicol

The Camarines Sur Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council placed the province under red alert effective 8 am on Friday, October 17.

This means local authorities must activate their emergency operations centers, monitor hazard-prone areas, conduct preemptive evacuation, and suspend risky sea activities, among others.