Egay pounds Ilocos Norte; triggers landslides, evacuations
LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte — Local police headed by Col. Julius Suriben, police director, assisted thousands of typhoon-affected residents as Typhoon Egay pounded this northern province for two days and nights,
Egay blocked roads with falling trees, caused rivers to overflow and displaced thousands of families.
Suriben has readied his men to respond to emergencies brought about by the typhoon. He deployed 1 rubber boats from PNP SAF that is on standby at the PNP provincial headquarters, a high speed seacraft from PNP Maritime, on standby in Currimao; a PNP Mahindra, PNP Hilux pickup, PNP truck, a PNP bus on standby also at headquarters; forward truck, backhoe, and a pick-up truck, courtesy of Rotaflex.
Suriben said the PNP has 281 ready personnel ready for dispatch in SAR Operations and another 116 PNP reserve force on standby. Twenty eight have been dispatched.
“No reported injuries as of this time, All major roads passable. There are, however, landslides and trees that fell on the roads but all were immediately cleared by SAR Teams of PNP and Clearing Team of LGUs,” said Suriben.
He said spillways at Poblacion 3 and Sitio Mallagao in Adams remain not passable, There is no power in entire province but all PNP stations have their generator sets.
Water level in Bolo River in Adams continues to rise as of this writing.
“Pre-emptive evacuations and rescue operations were conducted. Over 96% of the typhoon victims stayed in evacuation centers with Bacarra and Pagudpud having the most number of evacuees,” reported the Ilocano police director
“A PNP 24/7 Operations Center was established at MPH Ilocos Norte Police Provincial Office (INPPO),” Suriben said.
He added that chiefs of police are continuously assessing coastal areas and communities near rivers for a possible 2nd wave of evacuation operations.
