PAGASA satellite image of Tropical Storm Paeng.
BUTUAN CITY – Local government units (LGUs) in the Caraga region have suspended classes from kindergarten to college levels as Tropical Storm Paeng continued to threaten the area Friday.
In a bulletin issued Friday morning, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said as of 3 a.m., Paeng was estimated at 430 km. east of Borongan City, Eastern Samar, with maximum sustained winds of 75 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 90 kph.
The tropical storm is affecting all provinces in the region, including Butuan City, PAGASA said.
It also placed the provinces of Surigao del Norte, Dinagat Islands, and the northern part of Surigao del Sur under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 on Friday morning.
In Surigao del Norte, Governor Robert Lyndon Barbers ordered the suspension of classes at all levels for the safety of the students, teachers, and parents.
“Work in the government will continue as the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Council and the search and rescue teams in the province are already activated,” Barbers said in an interview with a local radio station in Surigao City.
Dinagat Islands Governor Nilo Demerey Jr. also ordered the suspension of classes and work at the provincial government.
“Given that our workplaces are not yet totally rehabilitated and the safety of the employees is our utmost concern, the work in the provincial government of Dinagat Islands in the Capitol is hereby suspended,” Demerey said.
Government employees under offices whose mandates are related to emergency and social services for preparedness and response to the emerging threat to public safety will remain activated, he said.
In Tandag City, Surigao del Sur, Mayor Roxanne Pimentel also ordered the suspension of classes from kindergarten to Grade 12 and advised the fisher folk in the area to refrain from going out to sea due to the weather disturbance.
In Surigao City, the city DRRM office enforced a preemptive evacuation for residents living in low-lying areas.
The Surigao City Information Office said as of 10 a.m. Friday, about 100 families, consisting of 400 to 500 individuals, were already evacuated from low-lying areas and temporarily housed at the Barangay Canlanipa Elementary School.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Coast Guard in the provinces of Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, and Dinagat Islands also suspended temporarily the voyages of all vessels and watercraft effective Friday morning. (PNA)
