Gov’t begins preemptive evacuation in areas to be affected by Betty

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 27) – Preemptive evacuation has begun in Negros Occidental, Palawan, and Pampanga, provinces expected to bear the brunt of super typhoon Betty.

This was according to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), citing officials of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Office of Civil Defense (OCD).

Evacuations have been going on in those provinces since Friday, according to OCD-National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) Information Officer Diego Mariano.

“Mayroon ng nag-e-evacuate sa ngayon, Negros Occidental at Palawan and ilan sa Pampanga," he pointed out. "So, ito ay dulot naman ng malakas na pag-ulan dahil sa hanging habagat naman, so not directly ng bagyong Betty."

[Translation: There are evacuations now in Negros Occidental, Palawan, and in Pampanga. These are not caused directly by Betty but by heavy rains and the southwest monsoon.]

Meanwhile, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has also set aside ₱598 million in standby funds and ₱525 million in quick response funds in anticipation of Betty’s onslaught, according to Assistant Secretary Romel Lopez.

The agency also prepared ₱819 million in non-food aid and 294,000 family food packs.

The DSWD identified Regions 1, 3, 4B, 6, 7, 8, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) as the most susceptible to massive flooding and landslides amid the super typhoon.

According to Lopez, there were about 1.5 million Filipinos susceptible to the effects of Betty in these areas, or about 8,000 families.