Still reeling from the destruction brought about by super Typhoon “Rolly,” the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) has raised a red alert status in Bicol Region (Region 5) as Tropical Storm (TS) “Ulysses” slightly intensified and moved closer to hitting the Luzon landmass.

Claudio Yucot, OCD-Bicol regional director, said all response assets and agencies of the Bicol regional disaster risk reduction and management council (RDRRMC) are already on standby for possible deployment to all local government units (LGUs) that are on the path of Ulysses.
A memorandum order was issued by the OCD-Bicol to implement a “no sail” policy for fisherfolks and the pre-emptive evacuation of residents in low-lying and high areas which may be affected by flashfloods and landslides.

Further, Yucot advised all local DRRM councils to “explore all means of communicating advisories to the communities” since some areas were still experiencing power interruption and limited mobile and internet connection due to the effects of super typhoon Rolly.
He emphasized the need for local leaders to implement precautionary measures to avoid any typhoon-related casualty, especially with the dire condition of the provinces in the region in the aftermath of Rolly.

“Ang importante ay makapag-evacuate tayo para kung biglang magbago ang track ay nakahanda tayo (What’s important is to implement a pre-emptive evacuation just to be prepared in case the typhoon changes its track),” Yucot said.
In Albay where 13 of the 25 Rolly-related fatalities were recorded, hundreds already fled their homes and are temporarily sheltered in evacuation centers.
As of 11 a.m. Tuesday, the eye of the storm was located at 475 km east of Virac, Catanduanes, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).
It was moving northwest at 15 km/h while packing a maximum sustained winds of 75 km/h near the center and gustiness of up to 90 km/h.