BY CRIS DIAZ
Executive Editor
About 100 individuals from various urban and suburban villages in Cagayan de Oro City started to evacuate as the city’s disaster management officials raised the “Code Orange” alert here past noon Thursday.
Nick Jabagat, head of the City Disaster Risk, Reduction Management Office (CDRMMO), said that under the Code Orange is a preemptive evacuation of people living in high risk and lowland areas.
He said the children, pregnant women and senior citizens were given priority for immediate evacuation assigned evacuation centers in the city.
Weather officials of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) in Northern Mindanao said that the Typhoon Odette (internationally known as RAI) was expected landfall from 1 pm to 2 pm Thursday with a peak intensity of 195 km/hr.
In Cagayan de Oro City, Odette is expected to pour the heaviest rainfall between 5 pm to 8pm Thursday and gutsy winds at 11 pm, the PAGASA said.
Non essential workers of the local government units (LGUs) were advised to go home at noon Thursday as the CDRRMO braces for emergency following reports of the swelling of rivers and estuaries in the cities outskirt villages. -0-
