By Rjay Zuriaga Castor
The Office of Civil Defense Western Visayas (OCD-6) classified the region as “low risk” under the Alpha protocol in response to Tropical Storm Kristine (international name: Trami) on Tuesday, October 22.
The Alpha protocol is activated in areas deemed low risk during a typhoon. While these areas are monitored, they are not expected to experience severe impacts.
OCD-6 Director Raul Fernandez said they conducted a Pre-Disaster Risk Assessment (PDRA) in preparation for Kristine, involving all members of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
“We are on standby status and continue monitoring any developments regarding Kristine,” Fernandez added.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), in its 2 p.m. advisory on October 22, placed Western Visayas under a yellow warning level.
Pagasa warned of potential flooding in low-lying areas and landslides in mountainous regions.
Fernandez reported that some parts of Negros Occidental experienced flooding on Monday morning, but floodwaters had receded by the afternoon.
OCD-6 is also on blue alert due to the recent eruption of Mt. Kanlaon and the ongoing MassKara Festival in Bacolod City.
As of 2 p.m. on Tuesday, the Department of Education reported that over 2,253 schools across the region had suspended in-person classes, affecting approximately 982,359 learners.
Negros Occidental and Iloilo are among the hardest-hit areas.
In Negros Occidental, 293 schools suspended classes, affecting 154,653 learners.
Iloilo followed with 419 schools and 151,891 learners impacted. Antique also saw the suspension of classes in 512 schools, affecting 132,339 learners.
