69 provinces need to brace for La Niña

MANILA, Philippines – Concerned agencies yesterday warned that 69 provinces will feel the severe effects of La Niña and advised local government officials to start seriously preparing for the abnormal weather phenomenon.

In a news conference held at the Department of Agrarian Reform, Dr. Esteban Godilano, satellite mapping expert of the Climate Change Congress of the Philippines (CCCP), said La Niña will impact on 69 provinces until March 2011.

For the July to September episode alone, Godilano, a member of the La Niña Technical Working Group, said the following places need to prepare: Baguio City, Ilocos Norte, Iloilo, La Union, Pangasinan, Tarlac, and Zambales.

An initial report of the CCCP also showed that Antique, Apayao, Bataan, Benguet, Capiz, Ifugao, Kalinga, Mindoro Oriental, Mt. Province, Pampanga, Abra, Aklan, Nueva Vizcaya, and Zamboanga del Sur are among those prone to landslides during La Niña.