About 50 stranded in Tarlac are rescued

MANILA, Philippines – Through synchronized efforts on social media, around 50 individuals stranded in Tarlac were quickly rescued.

On Friday evening, PAGASA reported that Santi made landfall in Aurora, Quezon and then weakened as it crossed Central Luzon. READ: Santi weakens after making landfall.

PAGASA also advised motorists to take the necessary precautions when travelling on roads in the provinces affected by the typhoon.

Around this time, a group of about 50 were already en route to Pangasinan from a whole day field trip in Manila.

Stranded

Their trip back home was cut short around 2:00 in the morning of Saturday, October 12.

According to Raul Serafica, one of the stranded, trees were uprooted and roads were blocked.  As part of their safety measures, they decided to stop at Tarlac City. 

With no other means of communication other than their cellphones, they texted and called their family and friends.

“Freak storm kaninang umaga at yung buong stretch ng bayan isang malaking parking lot.” Serafica reported. (It was a freak storm and the entire town turned into a big parking lot.)

Crowdsourced report

They had been stranded for more than 4 hours when the report about their situation reached the Project Agos response platform.

“Around 50 stranded in Tarlac City, Tarlac. They’re en route to Pangasinan. No roads currently passable,” said the report submitted at 7:15 in the morning.

Through Project Agos, Rappler provided the details of the report to the Philippine National Police (PNP) Community Affairs.

In less than an hour, the group was rescued. The local police also addressed the roadblock in the area.

Project Agos

Through Project Agos, netizens could report incidents of flooding or call for help for those in need of rescue. 

Project Agos is a collaboration between the government and the public for disaster preparedness and response.  

Use #RescuePH to call for rescue and help. Use #FloodPH to report flooding in your area. Don’t forget to include relevant details like your name, exact location, contact details and description of need.  The information will help authorities respond quickly and appropriately to calls for help. – Rappler.com/
 
 

Help report and map incidents of flooding and rescue using Rappler’s crowdsourcing tool.

Use hashtag #FloodPH for flood alerts and tag @moveph. Indicate street, town/city and province.

Use hashtag #RescuePH for rescue calls and tag @moveph. Add your name, exact location, and your contact details.