by Raadee Sausa November 17, 2020 Soldiers of the 59th Infantry Battalion provided...
November 17, 2020
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| Soldiers of the 59th Infantry Battalion provided transportation assistance to the evacuees of Calauag, Quezon Province on November 12. (Photo from 2nd Infantry Jungle Fighter Division) |
LUCENA CITY - At least 14,398 families in Quezon were evacuated to temporary shelters on Wednesday (November 11) and Thursday (November 12) as Typhoon Ulysses brought furious winds and poured heavy rains on the province.
Sonia Leyson, head of Quezon social welfare and development office, said that as of 8 a.m. Thursday, 53,215 residents from 409 barangays sought temporary shelters in 620 evacuation centers – mostly school buildings, barangay offices, and churches – in different parts of the province.
Local social workers and health authorities were attending to the evacuated families in 35 out of 41 municipalities in the province to ensure that health and safety protocols are being followed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Gumaca town along Lamon Bay accounted for the highest number of evacuees with 1,932 families composed of 6,495 individuals.
Most of the evacuated residents were from areas prone to landslides, flash floods, storm surges, and other identified dangerous areas.
Other evacuees opted to stay with their relatives and friends on safer grounds to avoid possible COVID-19 infection inside crowded shelter houses.
Ulysses made three separate landfalls over Patnanungan, Burdeos, and General Nakar towns from Wednesday night to early Thursday before it headed toward Nueva Ecija province around 4 a.m. on Thursday.
Trapped on the roof
Moreover, hundreds of families were trapped and needed rescue after floodwater submerged parts of Rodriguez and San Mateo in Rizal amid heavy rains spawned by Ulysses.
Resident Antonette Gono said her family in Barangay San Jose in Rodriguez had been waiting for rescue since Wednesday evening.
"There were about four families, with children. They were up on the roof,” she said.
Downgraded to signal no. 2
However, Metro Manila was downgraded to Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 2 as Ulysses moves over the western seaboard of Zambales on Thursday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said in its 11 a.m. update.
Besides Metro Manila, state weathermen said 19 other provinces in Luzon were also placed under Signal No. 2:
The central and southern portions of Isabela (Mallig, Quirino, Ilagan, Roxas, Burgos, Gamu, Palanan, San Mariano, Dinapigue, San Guillermo, Benito Soliven, Naguilian, Reina Mercedes, Luna, San Manuel, Aurora, Cabatuan, Cauayan City, San Mateo, Alicia, Angadanan, Echague, Jones, San Agustin, San Isidro, Ramon, Santiago City, Cordon), Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya,
Mountain Province, Ifugao, Benguet,
the southern portion of Ilocos Sur (Cervantes, Quirino, San Emilio, Lidlidda, Santiago, Banayoyo, Candon City, Galimuyod, Gregorio Del Pilar, Salcedo, Santa Lucia, Santa Cruz, Sigay, Suyo, Tagudin, Alilem, Sugpon), La Union, the rest of Pangasinan, Aurora, Nueva Ecija,
Bulacan, Cavite, Rizal, Laguna, Batangas,
the northern and western portions of Quezon (Mauban, Pagbilao, Tayabas City, Lucena City, Sariaya, Candelaria, San Antonio, Tiaong, Dolores, Lucban, Sampaloc, Real, Infanta, General Nakar) including Polillo Islands, the northwestern portion of Oriental Mindoro (Puerto Galera, San Teodoro),
and the northwestern portion of Occidental Mindoro (Paluan, Abra de Ilog) including Lubang Island.
Areas under Signal No. 2 will experience winds of greater than 61 kilometers per hour up to 120 kph in at least 24 hours.
State meteorologists said “damaging gale- to storm-force winds” are likely in areas under Signal No. 2.
Moderate to heavy rains will be felt over Cordillera Administrative Region, mainland Cagayan Valley, Babuyan Islands, Calabarzon, Metro Manila, Mindoro Provinces and Marinduque, Pagasa said.
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