‘Sendong’ moved too fast—Pagasa

MANILA, Philippines—Tropical Storm “Sendong” barreled its way inland with a speed that forecasters said was too fast, squeezing the lead time for storm warnings that should be given 36 hours before a cyclone hits land.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration officials said Sendong was still outside the Philippine area of responsibility 36 hours before its expected landfall on December 16.

Despite this, Pagasa officials said they issued several warnings to the public and local officials that a storm was on its way to Mindanao, a region that typhoons rarely visit, as early as Tuesday, December 13.

“There were warnings, flood bulletins. As early as Tuesday, we sent notifications,” Flaviana Hilario, Pagasa deputy administrator, said.

The Pagasa Region 10 office was also in constant coordination with the Office of Civil Defense and the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Center, she added.

On December 13, Pagasa notified its media partners that a tropical cyclone formed near Guam, which was still too far to affect the Philippines,

On the morning of December 14, Pagasa issued a weather advisory stating that the cyclone was classified as a tropical depression with maximum sustained winds of 55 kph near the eye.

The weather system was 1,480 km east of Southern Mindanao and was moving west at 19 kph. Pagasa forecast that the storm would enter the country by late Wednesday evening or the next morning.

Raymond Ordinario, a Pagasa forecaster, said Sendong, the 19th tropical cyclone to enter the Philippines in 2011, entered the country’s maritime boundary at around 8 a.m. of December 15.

In its 11 am advisory of the same day, Pagasa issued a severe weather advisory that showed the track of the cyclone and the affected areas. No public storm warning signal was set yet.

Pagasa raised public storm warning signals in Mindanao provinces later that day. It also predicted that the storm would make landfall in Surigao del Sur on Friday afternoon. It also said that areas that will be under Sendong’s 400-km diameter should expect 10-25 mm of rain.

Ordinario said Sendong was “too fast,” accelerating to 30 kph from 19 kph in 24 hours. This did not afford them 36 hours of lead time for public storm warnings, he said.

Before it entered PAR, on December 14, the storm was traveling at around 19 kph. By the time it crossed the boundary and neared Mindanao on Thursday, Sendong accelerated to 30 kph, Ordinario explained.

Meanwhile, Hilario said downpour from Sendong was not the main cause of the floods in Iligan and Cagayan de Oro. “It’s the topography. The water came from the mountains that’s why it happened so fast,” Hilario explained.

“This was not caused by just a simple rain,” she added.

Rainwater floods accumulate slower, she said. Pictures from the field showed the flood water containing logs, heavy rocks, and plenty of mud, an indication that the water came from the mountains, she said.