The Philippine Coast Guard cancelled sea travel to and from Negros Occidental that was placed under Signal No.1 as Typhoon Odette approached on Wednesday, December 15.
Several Negros Occidental local government units (LGUs) also issued orders suspending work Thursday and Friday.
Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia suspended face-to-face classes at the Alangilan National High School Thursday and Friday.
He also suspended work in all government offices within Bacolod City starting noon Thursday until Friday.
Silay Mayor Mark Golez and Himamaylan Mayor Raymund Tongson Jr. also suspended work in all government and private offices, and classes at all levels in their cities on Thursday and Friday.
Mayor Renato Gustilo suspended work in all government offices of San Carlos City on Thursday.
The typhoon as of Wednesday night was projected to hit central Negros but the entire province will be affected because of its wide radius, Zeaphard Gerhart Caelian, Provincial Disaster Management Program Division head, said.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) at 8 p.m. Wednesday said “Odette” maintains its strength while moving westward towards the Caraga-Eastern Visayas area.
It has maximum sustained winds of 130 km/h near the center, gustiness of up to 160 km/h, and central pressure of 970 hPa, it said.
Its strong winds extend outwards up to 400 km from the center, PAGASA said.
Early Thursday morning through early Friday there will be heavy to intense with at times torrential rains over Negros Island, PAGASA said.
Capt. Ludovico Librilla, Coast Guard Station Negros Occidental commander, announced Wednesday morning that all sea travel to and from Negros Occidental to Cebu and Panay were cancelled.
Fishing vessels were also barred from venturing out to sea, he said.
No vessel of any type or tonnage shall be allowed to sail except to take shelter, as the situation may warrant, when Signal No. 1 or higher is hoisted within the port of origin, he said.
As of Wednesday afternoon, there were 326 passengers, 146 rolling cargoes and 12 vessels stranded in the various ports of Negros Occidental, Librilla said.
In the entire Western Visayas, 778 passengers, 182 rolling cargoes and 18 vessels were stranded, while 18 vessels had taken shelter, the Coast Guard reported.
Negros Occidental Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said disaster response teams have been placed on alert, food assistance has been readied and assets have been prepositioned.
He called for prayers that the typhoon will change its course and spare the province because miracles can still happen.
Leonardia issued an advisory immediately activating the Bacolod Emergency Operations Center and called all Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Committees, government instrumentalities and the general public to be prepared.
The mayor also advised communities in low-lying, flood-prone areas and those situated along shorelines or near bodies of water to stay alert.
Dr. Anna Maria Laarni Pornan, Bacolod’s DRRMO officer, said Leonardia instructed village heads to identify evacuation centers, preposition relief food and non-food supplies as well as rescue equipment, prohibit fishing activities when the seas get rough and observe minimum health protocols, especially when already at the evacuation centers.*