Typhoon Rolly to enter Visayas today

CEBU – At least 442 passengers were stranded in the different ports of Cebu yesterday morning as Storm Signal No. 1 was hoisted due to Typhoon Rolly, expected to be off the Western coast of Cebu this morning.

Under Storm Signal No. 1 were Leyte, Southern Leyte, Bohol, Cebu, the Camotes Islands, Siquijor Island, Surigao Del Sur, Surigao Del Norte, Siargao, Dinagat Islands, Agusan Del Sur, Agusan Del Norte, Misamis Oriental, and Camiguin Island.

Elpidio Gunio, the station commander of the Coast Guard, said they have prevented 40 passenger vessels from plying their routes to nearby islands like Leyte, Bohol, Negros Oriental, Bantayan Island, Camotes, Iloilo and Ormoc because of the storm.

They have not been allowed to ply their routes since 7 in the morning yesterday, Gunio said.

Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia called for an emergency meeting among members of the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council at 1:30 p.m. yesterday to get updates as to how the typhoon may affect the island.

Garcia also instructed her department heads to be ready on call 24-hours should any emergency arise.

Supt. Noel Gillamac, the deputy operation chief of the Cebu Provincial Police Office, said they have already activated the provincial disaster coordinating headquarters in their camp.

Gillamac also said that they have sent radio messages to all police stations in the province to immediately report to them any incident that may occur in their area of responsibility.

At least two teams of PNP personnel are on standby at the headquarters.

In Cebu City, councilor Gerardo Carillo said that the Barangay Disaster Coordinating Council were also told to monitor their respective barangays.

Carillo, who is the chairman of the City Disaster Coordinating Council said that they and other agencies have been on standby since last night.

Today, Carillo said CDCC will monitor all barangays to check possible damage done by Typhoon Rolly. — Garry B. Lao and Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon (THE FREEMAN)