AS torrential rains spawned by the intensified Western monsoon caused flooding in parts of Luzon, including Metro Manila, and the Visayas regions, President Benigno S. Aquino III called on the media practitioners to join government efforts to keep the Filipinos informed of the dangers posed by natural calamities affecting their respective areas and how to overcome them.
In a press conference held after presiding over a Cabinet Meeting at the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council Headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City on Tuesday, the President said the media serves as a conduit to pass on vital information to the people.
He noted that the latest weather forecasting program of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration was now color-coded (yellow, green and red) to depict the intensity of expected rains and its corresponding dangers posed due to the weather condition.
Yellow means flooding is possible in an area with expected rains reaching 7.5 to 15 millimeters. The Green warning means there is a threat of flooding with 15 to 30 mm of rain expected while the Red Alert means that more than 30mm of rain is expected within 1 hour and may continue in the next 2 hours.
The Yellow warning means people should closely monitor the weather patterns while the Green and Red alerts depict the need for possible evacuation of people affected.
The President said that by disseminating this information to Filipinos through tri-media would ensure that the people understand PAGASA’s weather forecasting program better and can thus react accordingly. (PCOO)