Metro Manila, Philippines — Some 43,000 families have been evacuated as Super Typhoon Pepito approaches the Luzon landmass, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said on Saturday, Nov. 16.
OCD Administrator and Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno said the 134,653 individuals heeded the local governments’ call for forced evacuation for their safety.
“It’s more dangerous now for those in landslide-prone areas because the ground has been saturated by the consecutive typhoons,” Nepomuceno said in a press briefing.
“We aim for zero casualty with Pepito. We’ve undergone massive preparations,” he added.
The administrator further appealed to residents in areas prone to storm surges and landslides within Pepito’s track to seek safer grounds.
Meanwhile, those already in evacuation centers due to the previous cyclones were told to stay there.
Nepomuceno assured the public that emergency response assets and assistance are on standby.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered government agencies to prepare for the worst-case scenario.
