The super typhoon pepeng
October 12, 2009
Thousands of Filipinos who live near coastlines and mountainous areas were evacuated Friday as the storm-battered country braced for Typhoon Parma, which is expected to make landfall Saturday.Parma, known locally as Typhoon Pepeng, comes on the heels of a weekend storm that killed hundreds in the Philippines and left most of Manila under water.President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo placed the country “under the state of calamity” in preparation for Parma’s landfall. She ordered evacuations as a precautionary measure against floods and landslides, and asked weather officials to issue an hourly update. She also urged local governments to implement forced evacuations if need be.The order focuses on Camarines Norte, Aurora, northern Quezon, Polillo Island, Isabela and Cagayan.Thousands have been evacuated in Isabela and rescue crews have a “standing order to use force if necessary” to move adults and children, said Paul Fernandez, who is overseeing disaster relief in Isabela. The government is providing the province with relief funds, he said.Evacuees are being taken to schools and warehouses on higher ground, he said.
Macapagal-Arroyo said disaster-relief crews in vulnerable areas must be equipped with life-saving kits, boats, portable generators and trucks
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