Super storm Betty near

THE Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) has asked the local DRRMOs in Cebu to prepare for super typhoon Betty (international name: “Mawar”) which is expected to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) by Friday, May 26, or Saturday, May 27, 2023.

To prevent damage to property and death, state weather bureau Pagasa Mactan advised the public to monitor weather advisories and be vigilant against flooding and landslides that heavy rains might cause.

According to Pagasa, although it has not yet entered PAR, the entire Visayas has been experiencing sporadic cloudy to cloudy skies with light rain or thunder and lightning due to localized thunderstorms or the southwesterly wind flow.

Provincial disaster interim officer Wilson Ramos said it is better to prepare in advance.

“We are just waiting for the forecast, but it is important that the local DRRMOs are always prepared,” Ramos said in Cebuano on Tuesday, May 23.

Ramos explained that even if the typhoon does not have a direct impact on Cebu, there will be times when the province will experience heavy rains.

He asked the local disaster offices to closely monitor the barangays, particularly those near the river and low-lying areas. Ramos also urged residents to coordinate with the disaster risk personnel in their barangays and listen to their instructions to avoid danger.

As of 3 p.m. Tuesday, the eye of the typhoon was located 2,285 kilometers east of Visayas. It was packing maximum winds of 185 kilometers per hour (km/h) near the center and gusts of up to 230 km/h while moving northward at 15 km/h.

Pagasa said there will be cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms in Palawan due to the southwesterly windflow. This might cause flash floods or landslides due to moderate to at times heavy rains.

In Metro Manila and the rest of the country, there will be partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms still due to the southwesterly windflow with possible flash floods or landslides during severe thunderstorms.

Meanwhile, a frontal system affecting extreme northern Luzon will bring cloudy skies with rains and possible flash floods or landslides to Batanes and the Babuyan Islands due to moderate with at times heavy rains, Pagasa said. / ANV / TPT, LMY, CTL