Batanes folk brace for ‘Liwayway’

MANILA, Philippines – Residents of Batanes province, including Babuyan Islands, are bracing for strong rains with gusty winds as Tropical Storm “Liwayway” (international name: Lingling) continues to move northward.

Storm signal No. 1 remains hoisted in Batanes where residents are advised to take precautionary measures against floods and landslides.

As of 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Liwayway’s center was estimated at 225 kilometers east of Basco, the capital town of Batanes. It has strengthened, packing maximum sustained winds of up to 110 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 135 kph.

Rain in Northern Luzon

It has slowed down at 15 kph as it continues to move north. It is expected to leave the country between Wednesday night and Thursday morning when it intensifies into a typhoon, according to the government weather bureau, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

Even with the impending exit, the trough of Liwayway and the southwest monsoon, or “habagat,” may still bring light to moderate with intermittent heavy rain over Batanes, including Babuyan Islands, Apayao and Cagayan provinces, Pagasa said.

The southwest monsoon will bring cloudy skies with scattered showers and thunderstorms over Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon and Western Visayas on Wednesday.

Secure homes

Roldan Esdicul, Batanes provincial disaster risk reduction and management officer, said villagers in Itbayat town were told to stay in their homes and secure their roofs with ropes.

Local officials said Army engineers were sent to Itbayat to assess whether to blast loose boulders to avoid rockslides during the storm.

Itbayat was hit by twin earthquakes on July 27, which killed nine people and injured more than 60 others. The quakes, including strong aftershocks, damaged at least 260 houses in the town, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.—Reports from Jhesset O. Enano, Nathan Alcantara and Villamar Visaya Jr.