Move to safer grounds now before typhoon 'Ramil' hits land.

The voluntary evacuation of people in provinces located in the "projected path" of typhoon "Ramil" (international codename Lupit) before the typhoon hits land was reiterated by Senator Richard J. Gordon (Ind)on Wednesday.

Gordon, chairman of the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) stressed that people in Northern and Central Luzon who are living in unsafe areas, including those residing in Metro Manila, should prepare and evacuate while there is still time.

"Lahat ng mga nakatira sa tabi ng ilog na dadaanan ng bagyo, maghanda na kayo. At huwag ninyong isipin na sa Cagayan lang dadaan iyan o sa Babuyan Islands, may posibilidad na umabot iyan hanggang Metro Manila. Mabuti nang sigurado tayo. Sigurado ang Northern Luzon at Central Luzon aabutan ng ulan ang mga iyan," he said.

"Kaya kung kayo ay nakatira sa mababang lugar, tabi ng ilog, tabi ng mga creek o mga sapa, lumisan na kayo diyan. Kung kayo ay may pamilya na may special concerns katulad ng maysakit o incapacitated, ilipat niyo na sila. Itaas niyo na ang mga gamit niyo sa second floor at isara niyo ang mga bahay niyo," he added.

Gordon advised people who will move to safer grounds to inform their relatives of where they are moving to so their relatives would not be worried about their whereabouts.

The barangay should get organized and assign ten or more fit residents who will stay behind and watch over everyone's properties, "if the residents of an area have to evacuate and are worried about their properties," he also recommended.

Earlier this week, the PNRC chairman has directed staff and volunteers of Red Cross chapters, especially in Northern Luzon and Central Luzon, to closely monitor the situation in their respective areas. This will help avert a possible devastation with the same extent as the destructions caused by "Ondoy" and "Pepeng," the two recent typhoons that devastated the country.

Gordon directed Red Cross chapters to monitor weather updates, to keep disaster response teams on standby and to prepare rescue equipment such as rubber boats.

According to a weather bulletin from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), as of 4:00 a.m. Wednesday, "Ramil" was located at 600 kilometers East Northeast of Aparri, Cagayan with maximum sustained winds of 175 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 210 kph.

Ramil, which is expected to hit land on Thursday, will be the 18th storm to enter the country this year.