Authorities have placed Metro Manila under a Red Alert status as a precautionary measure against approaching Typhoon Uwan (international name: Fung-wong), triggering the highest level of emergency readiness across the capital region.
The directive was issued by the Metro Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (MMDRRMC) on Saturday to ensure rapid response to potential incidents and to implement full-scale emergency protocols.
A Red Alert signifies the “highest level of readiness,” requiring all personnel, including city officials and rescue teams, to be on the ground or on standby for immediate deployment. Under this status, operations shift to 24-hour monitoring and response, emergency action plans are fully activated, and evacuation centers are opened.
The enhanced protocols include 24-hour flood control operations at all pumping stations, continuous real-time CCTV monitoring, and the immediate deployment of essential assets such as rubber boats, wrecker cranes, payloaders, and buses for mass evacuation.
Currently, Metro Manila is under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).
As of Pagasa’s 11 a.m. bulletin, Typhoon Uwan was located 680 kilometers east of Borongan City, Eastern Samar. It is packing maximum sustained winds of 140 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gusts of up to 170 kph.
Pagasa warned that the typhoon is forecast to rapidly intensify and may reach Super Typhoon category by Saturday evening or Sunday, with a potential track that could pass close to Catanduanes on Sunday morning.
