MANILA, Philippines—With thousands of families still recovering from the ravages of Typhoon “Frank” (international codename: Fengshen), the weather bureau Tuesday raised major storm signals over the northernmost provinces of Luzon as Tropical Storm “Helen” (Kalmaegi) slightly intensified over the Philippine Sea.

Education authorities Tuesday suspended classes at both elementary and high school levels in at least 15 provinces as a result of heavy rains unleashed by Helen over central and northern Luzon.

For Wednesday, classes in all pre-schools are automatically suspended in areas covered by Signal No. 1, the Department of Education (DepEd) said.

In areas under Signal No. 2, classes from pre-school to high school—both public and private—are suspended, the DepEd said.

Local authorities, on their own, may also suspend classes depending on the weather condition in their respective areas of jurisdiction, according to a DepEd advisory.

8th storm

Helen, the eighth weather disturbance to hit the country, slightly intensified from a tropical depression to a storm, packing maximum winds of 75 kilometers per hour with gustiness of up to 90 kph.

Metro Manila will experience occasional rains, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said in its 11 p.m. bulletin Tuesday.

The storm is expected to make a landfall in Batanes Wednesday.

PAGASA hoisted Storm Signal No. 2 over Isabela, Cagayan, including Calayan group of islands, Apayao, Batanes and Ilocos Norte.

It warned that winds from 61 kph to 100 kph would hit these areas and cause moderate damage to agriculture, uproot large trees, and un-roof nipa and cogon houses.

Sea travel risky

PAGASA said that travel by all types of sea craft and aircraft in these areas was risky, and advised residents on the coast to watch out for big waves.

“Areas near the center of the storm will experience continuous moderate to heavy rainfall,” PAGASA Director Prisco Nilo said in a phone interview.

Abra, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Aurora and Ilocos Sur were placed under Signal No. 1.

Winds of from 30 kph to 60 kph could partially un-roof nipa and cogon houses, damage rice in flowering stage, and flatten banana plants in these areas, besides making travel by small sea craft risky, it said.

“Those living in coastal areas should be wary of floods, and those living on mountain slopes should be wary of landslides,” Nilo said.

Hovering over the sea

As of 10 p.m. Tuesday, the storm was hovering over the Philippine Sea some 140 km east of Aparri, Cagayan, and was moving west northwest at 7 kph.

It was forecast to be some 60 kilometers north of Aparri by Wednesday evening, 220 kilometers northwest of Basco town, Batanes province by Thursday evening, and 460 kilometers northwest of Basco or 100 kilometers west of northern Taiwan by Friday evening.

“It’s expected to intensify because it’s hovering over water,” Nilo said.

“The whole of Luzon, especially the northwest sections, will experience rainfall because the storm is expected to enhance the southwest monsoon,” typhoon forecaster Joel Jesusa said in an earlier interview.

Below spilling level

Education Secretary Jesli A. Lapus announced late Monday night the suspension of classes in Tarlac, Zambales, Bataan, Bulacan, Pampanga, Pangasinan, La Union, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Abra, Kalinga, Apayao, Cagayan, Isabela, and Batanes.

As of press time, the DepEd had yet to give an update on whether classes would be resumed in some areas.

In Isabela, the water level at Magat dam in Ramon town was recorded at 176.38 meters, still below the 193-meter spilling level, as strong rains spawned by Helen drenched the province.

Edwin Pasion, weather and flood forecasting chief of the National Irrigation Administration-Magat River Integrated Irrigation System, said the agency was not expecting any sudden increase in the reservoir’s water level because there had been no strong rains in the province in the past few days despite the storm.

Go to high ground

But Jose Armand Araneta, Isabela civil defense officer, asked villagers living near rivers and in low-lying areas to seek higher ground to avoid floods.

Jesus Taberdo Jr., DepEd director in Cagayan Valley, announced the suspension of classes in elementary and high school in Batanes, Isabela and Cagayan on Wednesday.

Taberdo said school principals in other provinces in the Cagayan Valley region not covered by storm signals may decide on whether to suspend classes after assessing possible risks to their students.

Roads leading to Baguio City and to the vegetable farms in the region remained open while water levels in Ambuklao and Binga dams in Benguet stayed below their critical levels on Tuesday. Reports from Jerry E. Esplanada in Manila, and Villamor Visaya Jr. and Vincent Cabreza, Inquirer Northern Luzon