Classes remain suspended in Zamboanga City due to bad weather

By Teofilo Garcia, Jr.

Photo Courtesy: The Zamboanga City Hall (PNA file photo)

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Classes remain suspended Thursday at all levels in both private and public schools in this city due to inclement weather caused by the southwest monsoon and the effects of Typhoon Inday (international name Bavi).

“Classes at all levels were suspended since Wednesday afternoon, and the suspension remains today to ensure the protection of students,” Mayor Kymer Olaso said in a statement.

Olaso advised the residents, especially those in low-lying areas, riverbank dwellers, and those near the shore, to stay alert and vigilant.

“If there is a need to evacuate to safer areas, evacuate immediately,” he said.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Service Administration (PAGASA) said cloudy skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms will prevail over the Zamboanga Peninsula, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi due to the southwest monsoon.

Flash floods or landslides may happen due to moderate to at times heavy rains, according to PAGASA.

Meanwhile, Dr. Elmeir Jade Apolinario, chief of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), said the operation center has been placed on heightened alert status.

Apolinario advised the Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council to monitor their respective communities, especially barangays with rivers and in coastal areas.

This city has 98 barangays, most of which are in coastal areas.

The Coast Guard Station – Zamboanga earlier activated its Deployable Response Group, placing response personnel, rescue equipment, and assets on high alert for quick deployment in search-and-rescue, maritime safety, humanitarian, and disaster missions.

PAGASA’s latest forecast on Thursday showed Inday has weakened into a typhoon, packing maximum sustained winds of 175 km. per hour (kph) near the center and gusts of up to 215 kph.

The typhoon was located 925 km. east of northern Luzon as of 4 a.m., moving west-northwest at 20 kph.

This article is republished from PNA.