Nearly one million in Bicol evacuated ahead of ”Rolly” landfall: NDRMMC

October 31, 2020

By Robina Asido Almost one million people were pre-emptively evacuated in the Bicol Region as part of its local government preparation for Typhoon ''Rolly'' landfall, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said Saturday.

"I will highlight what the Region 5 (Bicol) is doing right now. As of now they have the most number of pre-emptive evacuation because they are the first area to be hit (by the typhoon). In Albay, they were able to evacuate 174,616 families composed of 794,000 persons, almost a million," Office of Civil Defense Administrator and NDRRMC executive director Usec. Ricardo Jalad said in a virtual press conference Saturday night.

"We also have in Camarines Norte, Calaguas island. They evacuated to the biggest Island in Calaguas. They have an evacuation center there, about 1,329 families composed of 6,645 individuals. We also have data in Camarines Sur ... almost 200,000 individuals and the reports coming from local government units and other provinces are continuously arriving," he added.

Jalad also noted that the Calabarzon Region and Metro Manila were also preparing as they will also be affected by ''Rolly''.

"We have discussed during the meeting earlier the need to conduct preemptive evacuation here in Metro Manila. In fact, there are a lot of people in vulnerable areas here. Those who are in the waterways beside the Manila Bay, because of the threat of storm surge, although there is a possibility that its height will be lessened by the time that the typhoon have reached Metro Manila because we expect that it will get weaker after its landfall," he said.

Amid the threat brought by ''Rolly'', Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Gilbert Gapay placed all military units on red alert to maximize  availability of personnel in preparation for the landfall of  Typhoon ''Rolly''. "This is a pre-emptive measure to ensure that the AFP is at its maximum capacity to deploy personnel and equipment in the conduct of humanitarian and disaster response operations. General Gapay also reiterated his earlier directive to ensure the safety of military personnel and assets, particularly those along the track of the typhoon. He also ordered frontline units in less affected areas to prepare to reinforce those in directly affected areas," said Capt. Jonathan Zata, AFP public affairs chief.

"The AFP is in heightened coordination with other government agencies in monitoring Typhoon 'Rolly' and in preparing areas at its path. We urge the public to take all necessary precaution to stay safe and heed government calls for preemptive evacuation," he added. DMS