Authorities warn that as many as 8.4 million people in several regions across the country could be affected by the strong Typhoon Uwan, which has the potential to intensify further into a “Super Typhoon.”
This was announced by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) based on predictive analytics.
Among the regions that could be affected are the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), CALABARZON, and Bicol.
However, its rainbands, or the storm’s circulation, might reach Western Visayas, Negros Island, Central Visayas, and Eastern Visayas, which previously experienced the onslaught of the recent Typhoon Tino.
Typhoon Uwan may affect 5.7 million residents in coastal communities and 466,000 poor families, particularly in CAR, the Ilocos Region, and Cagayan Valley.
Meanwhile, Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) Deputy Administrator for Administration, Asst. Sec. Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro warned that Uwan’s wide scope of 700 kilometers in radius could bring heavy rains and destructive winds to many areas. Its diameter of 1,400 kilometers could affect areas from Batanes down to Bohol.
More than 8,000 barangays have been identified as potentially experiencing landslides and flooding due to the rains, based on data from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau of the DENR.
In connection with this, the agency warned that more areas are vulnerable due to soil softening caused by the rains from the previous Typhoon Tino, especially in Southern Leyte, Quezon, Sorsogon, Cebu, Capiz, Palawan, and Surigao.
In response, the agency urged local governments to implement preemptive and forced evacuations already until tomorrow, Sunday, especially in communities at risk of flooding and landslides.
