The Philippine National Police (PNP) activated its disaster response teams amid the onslaught of Tropical Storm Ramil (international name: Fengshen).
Ramil was last spotted 440 kilometers (km) west of Sinait, Ilocos Sur, the state weather bureau said in its latest tropical cyclone update at 11 a.m. on Monday.
‘The PNP’s disaster response teams across the country have been activated and are closely coordinating with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, the Department of the Interior and Local Government and local authorities,’ Acting Chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said in a statement on Monday.
‘I have already directed all our commanders on the ground to ensure that a sufficient number of our personnel be deployed to assist in road clearing operations,’ he added.
Ramil made landfall over Gubat, Sorsogon, last Saturday, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).
Beforehand, at least 22,311 individuals were pre-emptively evacuated in Calabarzon and Bicol Region, the PNP noted.
Ramil was packing maximum sustained winds of 85 km per hour (kph) and gusts of up to 105 kph while moving north-northwestward at 25 kph, the Pagasa said.