Brace for ‘Sarah,’ weather bureau warns Batanes, Cagayan folk

CLEARING OPERATION A rescue team removes a fallen tree blocking a road in Lal-lo town in Cagayan province as Typhoon “Ramon” battered the province. Ramon made landfall in the northern town of Santa Ana on Wednesday morning. —PHOTO COURTESY OF CAGAYAN PROVINCIAL INFORMATION OFFICE

Residents in Batanes and Cagayan provinces should remain prepared for rains and gusts on Thursday, as Tropical Storm “Sarah” (international name: Fung-wong) threatens to slam areas hit by Typhoon “Ramon” (international name: Kalmaegi), the weather bureau said.

Sarah maintained its strength on Wednesday, as Ramon further weakened into a low pressure area, but still bringing rain over several provinces in Luzon, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said.

As of Wednesday afternoon, tropical cyclone wind signal No. 1 was raised over Batanes and the northeastern portion of Cagayan, particularly over the towns of Gattaran, Lal-lo, Buguey, Gonzaga, Sta. Ana, Calayan, including Babuyan Islands, due to Sarah.

Residents here should expect light to moderate, with intermittent heavy rain, on Thursday, Pagasa said.

Evacuees

As of 4 p.m. Thursday, the center of the tropical storm was estimated at 540 kilometers east of Tuguegarao City, Cagayan. It packed maximum sustained winds of up to 65 km per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 80 kph.

Sarah has slightly accelerated, moving north northwestward at 30 kph. If it maintains its speed and track, it is forecast to exit the Philippine area of responsibility by Saturday afternoon.

In Cagayan province, close to 7,000 people remained in evacuation centers as Ramon crossed northern Luzon on Wednesday.

Ramon, which made landfall in Santa Ana town at 12:20 a.m. Wednesday, displaced 2,678 families in 18 towns of Cagayan, said Rogelio Sending Jr., Cagayan acting provincial information officer.

At least seven roads and four bridges in the towns of Santa Ana, Baggao, Allacapan, Peñablanca were submerged in flood spawned by continuous rain, Sending told the Inquirer.

He said Ramon’s strong winds toppled trees and electric posts, while landslides buried homes and blocked roads in six Cagayan towns.

Dante Balao, Office of the Civil Defense regional director, said they prepared “more than enough” relief goods and household kits for displaced villagers.

Pagasa said cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms would prevail over the Ilocos, Cordillera, Central Luzon and the rest of Cagayan Valley.