Almost a million individuals have been evacuated due to Typhoon Rolly (Goni) National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) Undersecretary Ricardo Jalad said in a virtual briefing on Saturday, October 31. These included about 1,000 COVID-19 patients, he added.

Jalad said preemptive evacuation has been implemented in several areas, but so far the figure only included reports from the Bicol Region, Calabarzon, and Central Luzon. “Kinukumpleto lang ng ating mga regional disaster risk reduction management councils ang pag-report (Our regional offices are still completing the reports),” Jalad said.

Majority were residents of the Bicol Region, which was the first area expected to be hit by the typhoon. In Albay, 794,000 individuals were preemptively evacuated, and about 200,000 in Camarines Sur.

Jalad also said some 1,000 COVID-19 patients were transferred from the “mega treatment facilities” in Metro Manila and Bulacan specially built during the pandemic. The patients were transferred to hospitals and hotels as preparation for the typhoon.

“Ito yung mga nakatira sa mga tents. Dahil yung mga tents ay hindi naman designed to withstand strong winds galing sa isang typhoon,” Jalad said. (These were the patients living in tents. Because tents were not designed to withstand strong winds caused by a typhoon.)

Earlier, reports said over 200,000 were ordered to evacuate by the NDRRMC.

Typhoon Rolly is expected to hit Catanduanes Island on Sunday morning, with wind speeds of up to 205 kilometers per hour. It was expected to cross the main island of Luzon and cause heavy rains in the Bicol region, Calabarzon, Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Marinduque, and the northern portion of Mindoro.

“Muli po, kami ay nananawagan sa mga kababayan ng kanilang kooperasyon at preparasyon para dito sa pagdating ng Typhoon Rolly para maiwasan ang casualties (Again, we are requesting the cooperation and preparation of our fellow citizens as Typhoon Rolly nears, so that we could avoid casualties),” Jalad added. – Rappler.com