Seven regions under highest emergency protocol due to 'Kristine'

MANILA, Philippines — Seven regions have been placed under the highest state of readiness as the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) raised on Monday night, October 21, its “Charlie” emergency protocol due to Tropical Storm Kristine.

As the state weather bureau PAGASA forecasts Kristine to make landfall on Wednesday, October 23, the OCD has placed the following regions under the "Charlie" protocol, citing heightened risk of hazards and disasters associated with the storm:

Meanwhile, the following regions are under the moderate risk response protocol, "Bravo":

Currently classified as low risk and placed under the "Alpha" protocol are the following seven regions:

According to OCD Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno, the highest response protocol was activated after the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) projected that Tropical Storm Kristine could impact around 30 million people.

More than 20,000 barangays are also at risk of potential floods and landslides, according to the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB). 

The agency said the regions vulnerable to these rain-induced hazards include the Central Visayas, CAR, Eastern Visayas, Ilocos Region, MIMAROPA, Northern Mindanao, SOCCSKSARGEN, Western Visayas and Zamboanga Peninsula. 

“According to the latest forecast from the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the number of potential victims has surged to 30 million. This is a considerable population at risk, and we need all hands on deck to mitigate the impacts of this disaster,” Nepomuceno said in a statement.

Highly urbanized cities in Metro Manila are also significantly threatened by flood hazards, and the OCD anticipates that around 1,403 barangays will be affected. 

These areas include Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela, Pasay, Pateros, Las Piñas, Makati, Muntinlupa, Parañaque, Taguig, Quezon City, Mandaluyong, Marikina, Pasig, San Juan and Manila.

PAGASA has warned of the potential issuance of Wind Signal No. 4 due to Tropical Storm Kristine, with peak winds reaching 65 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gusts of up to 80 kph.

The state weather bureau has raised Wind Signal No. 1 in most areas nationwide, with Signal No. 2 hoisted