CEBU CITY, (PNA) — Cebuanos are bracing for super typhoon “Ruby” as weather forecasters raised public storm warning signal number 2 over northern Cebu, including Cebu City, Bantayan Island and Camotes Islands.
Classes in all levels in both public and private schools throughout Cebu has been suspended for Friday and Saturday as part of the preparations for the coming super typhoon.
Grocers in downtown Cebu City have been restocking their shelves of canned goods, rice, noodles, flashlights and other emergency essentials.
Evelyn Ramos, supervisor of Prince Warehouse, said they have observed an increasing number of buyers of flashlights and batteries since Wednesday.
”Even our staff are buying their own flashlights and batteries,” Ramos said.
The Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) 7 reminded all local government units (LGUs) in the region that evacuation must be done 12 hours before the typhoon is expected to hit the area.
“We will not wait for the rain to start before we evacuate. But of course, the LGUs are the ones that can assess because they are the ones who know their areas,” said OCD 7 head Olivia Luces.
Luces said that as early as Friday, the LGUs should already identify areas that are safe for evacuation.
“Once the storm signal is raised, they may have to evacuate especially those living in coastal areas,” she said.
Among the first to be evacuated were some 143 individuals from Lipayran islet off Bantayan Island off the northernmost tip of Cebu mainland.
Bantayan Mayor Christopher Ian Escario led the first group of evacuees from Sitio Mambacayao Diot in the island barangay of Lipayran, where 83 individuals were brought to the town proper using his motor banca Thursday morning.
Some 60 individuals from Sitio Mambacayao Dako followed.
The families are staying at the Bantayan Southern Institute in Barangay Bantigue, Bantayan town.
Some residents of Biagayag, Barangay Sulangan were also evacuated to Sulangan Elementary School in Bantayan.
The town is again in the path of another typhoon, only a year after it was battered by super typhoon Yolanda.
Mandaue City public information officer Roger Paller said preemptive evacuation started Thursday in landslide-prone areas in the mountain barangays of Casuntingan, Tingub and Tawason.
The Department of Education (DepEd) 7 has identified some 25 schools in Cebu as evacuation centers if Ruby hits the province.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines Central Command (AFP-CentCom), which declared a red alert status, will deploy personnel to affected areas for evacuation and rescue.
Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III said all Capitol offices maintained a skeletal workforce to assist the LGUs even if work hours will be shortened Friday.
Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (PDRRM) Officer Baltazar Tribunalo said the Capitol has 1,000 bags of rice available for distribution.
He said the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office started distributing relief goods Friday even before the typhoon could hit northern Cebu.
Skies were overcast but there were still no rains in Cebu City as of mid-afternoon Friday. (PNA)