Bishops urge storm evacuations in the Philippines

on

Ronald Reyes, Tacloban City

  • Philippines
  • December 4, 2014


Action needed 'now' before Typhoon Hagupit hits, Catholic leaders say


    Catholic bishops in the Philippines urged the government on Thursday to immediately evacuate people living in the projected path of Typhoon Hagupit, which is expected to hit the country this weekend.
    "I plead with government officials to commence evacuation now. To wait any longer may be disastrous," said Archbishop Socrates Villegas, president of the country’s bishops' conference.
    "There is no such thing as an excess of caution, especially when faced with a danger so severe," the prelate said in a statement.
    Weather forecasters have warned that Hagupit will likely make landfall in the same area hit by Super Typhoon Haiyan last year.
    Haiyan killed or left missing at least 7,500 people and affected millions of others, mainly in the provinces of Samar and Leyte, when it struck the country in November last year.
    Villegas also appealed to local church leaders and parish priests to open their doors to refugees and those in need of shelter.
    As of Thursday morning, weather forecasters said Typhoon Hagupit had intensified, packing winds of up to 230kph.
    At least six provinces in the central Philippines and the military were placed on high alert on Thursday.
    The government is adopting "all necessary measures" to ensure the safety of the people, Herminio Coloma Jr, President Benigno Aquino's spokesman, told ucanews.com.
    "We urge people to follow the guidance of their local disaster councils that are fully supported by the national government," Coloma said.
    Ildebrando Bernadas, chief of Tacloban City's disaster risk reduction council in Tacloban, said "pre-emptive evacuation" of people has already started in coastal and landslide-prone areas.
    Evacuations have also begun in Palo town, according to Kwon Young-woo, a South Korean army spokesman whose unit has been conducting humanitarian work in the area to help Haiyan victims.
    Francis Rosaroso, an Agriculture Department official in the region advised farmers to harvest their crops and ensure the safety of their livestock.
    Fishermen have also been warned to stay in port.
    Advocacy group Promotion of Church People’s Response also urged the government to "explicitly advise" the public, especially those living in Tacloban City and nearby provinces, to make "urgent proper preparations" for the coming storm.
    "This is to avoid if not appease the fear and panic that hound the people of Samar and Leyte," and who are still haunted by recent storms, said Nardy Sabino, executive secretary of the group.
    http://www.ucanews.com/news/bishops-urge-storm-evacuations-in-the-philippines/72545