Military units alerted for 'Nina' onslaught

From the Philippine News Agency (Dec 24): Military units alerted for 'Nina' onslaught

With Typhoon Nina intensifying, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Saturday ordered all its units to coordinate with regional and local disaster risk reduction and management councils for the pre-positioning of all assets and troops for disaster relief.

These units are the Lucena-based Southern Luzon Command, Cebu-headquartered Central Command and Metro Manila-assigned Joint Task Force-National Capital Region.

"(These units will) ensure the operational readiness including force protection of respective DRUs (disaster response units) for effective response capabilities," National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council executive director Ricardo Jalad said.

Aside from this, the units have been directed to coordinate with other Unified Commands for support.

Jalad added that these units have been tasked to coordinate with the AFP Reserve Command for the utilization of volunteers for disaster response operations.

'Nina' has intensified further but slightly slowed down at 15 kph as it headed west northwest, the state weather bureau PAGASA said.

'Nina' was last eyed at 445 km. east of Virac, Catanduanes, with maximum sustained winds of up to 150 kph near the center, and gustiness of up to 185 kph.

Estimated rainfall amount is from moderate to heavy within the 400-km. diameter of the typhoon.

PAGASA earlier said 'Nina' is expected to intensify further before making landfall over Catanduanes on Christmas day, either in the afternoon or in the evening.
Southern Quezon, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Albay, Sorsogon and Masbate, including Ticao and Burias islands, and Samar are currently under tropical cyclone signal warning no. 1.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=950738