Cagayan ‘preparing for the worst’ as Typhoon Kiko nears

The Cagayan provincial government is on red alert, with Typhoon Kiko (Chanthu) expected to bring heavy rain and fierce winds to Northern Luzon starting Friday, September 10.

Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba told ABS-CBN’s TeleRadyo Balita in an interview early Friday morning that the province has been preparing for Kiko, with a pre-disaster risk assessment meeting conducted on Thursday, September 9.

“We are preparing for the worst…. Naka-prepare po naman kami (We were able to prepare),” Mamba said.

Preemptive evacuation was ordered for the northeastern towns of Cagayan. Farmers were also told to harvest what they can, according to the governor.

Classes and work are suspended across Cagayan on Friday, except for work in frontline offices dealing with disaster risk reduction and management.

Mamba noted that Cagayan is no stranger to powerful tropical cyclones.

Super Typhoon Lawin (Haima) hit the province in October 2016, prompting the declaration of Signal No. 5, the highest tropical cyclone wind signal.

There was also Typhoon Ompong (Mangkhut) in September 2018. Signal No. 4 was raised in Cagayan back then.

Typhoon Ulysses (Vamco) and the tail-end of a cold front in November 2020 triggered what Mamba had described as Cagayan’s worst flooding in decades.

The governor said on Friday that they do not expect the Cagayan River to swell like it did during Ulysses’ onslaught.

“Ang daanan po ng bagyo sa eastern seaboard of Cagayan, so we do not expect the Cagayan River to swell at this point in time…. We are also praying na…hindi magdudulot ng maraming rainfall dito sa bandang Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, dahil diyan po talaga magswe-swell ang Cagayan River ‘pag diyan po…ang malakas na ulan,” Mamba said.

(The typhoon will pass through the eastern seaboard of Cagayan, so we do not expect the Cagayan River to swell at this point in time. We are also praying that there won’t be much rainfall in Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, because if there’s heavy rain in those areas, the Cagayan River could swell.)

Mamba appealed to all residents of Cagayan to prepare, too.

“Again, sa lahat po sa atin, we have to prepare for the worst po, kahit it may not come…. Magtulungan po tayo,” he said.

(Again, to everyone, we have to prepare for the worst, even if it may not come. Let’s cooperate.) – Rappler.com