Stay indoors, stock up on food, embassy urges East Coast FilAms
The gloom before the storm, the view from Grand Street in Williamsburg. Photo by Janice Guevarra Javier
The Embassy has issued an advisory to the more than 460,000 members of the Filipino Community in at least 13 states that forecasters said would be affected by Hurricane Sandy.
“We advise our kababayans staying along the path of Hurricane Sandy to stay indoors and avoid unnecessary travel until the storm has passed,” Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia said. ”We must take all the necessary precautions as this is a storm like no other.”
He said Filipinos in the affected areas, particularly in New Jersey and New York, should be ready for heavy rains, strong winds, power outages, floods, falling trees and flying debris when the hurricane hits land on Monday with maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour.
As part of their preparations, Cuisia advised the Filipino American communities in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, District of Columbia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine and Connecticut to stock up on food and other emergency provisions and to monitor local media for regular updates.
Cuisia said the Embassy and the Philippine Consulate General in New York have also activated 24-hour help desks to assist Filipino tourists, businessmen, seamen and other temporary visitors travelling along the East Coast who may be affected by the hurricane.
Filipinos who may require assistance may call the Duty Officer of the Embassy in Washington D.C at 202-368-2767 or the Consulate General in New York at 917-294-0196.
They also urged community associations to keep in touch with their members for any developments or emergencies that may arise as a result of the hurricane the effects of which will be felt until Tuesday.
Cuisia said the Office of the Defense and Armed Forces Attache has advised the 88 officers and men of the BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PF16), the country’s second high-endurance cutter acquired from the U.S., to prepare for the storm. The vessel is currently undergoing refurbishment and refitting in Charleston, South Carolina, which is also in the path of the hurricane.
Sandy, which has been described as Frankenstorm, is anticipated to cause billions of dollars in damages when it sweeps across the East Coast. As a result, Virginia, Maryland, D.C., Pennsylvania, New York, Maine, New Jersey, and Connecticut have declared states of emergency with New Jersey already ordering evacuations along its coastal areas.
