‘Red alert’ raised as Bicol braces for Tropical Depression ‘Quinta’

LEGAZPI CITY –– The state weather bureau raised a red alert weather status across Bicol as a low-pressure area (LPA) entering the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Friday threatens to hit the region by Sunday, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) here said.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) issued the alert advisory following a meeting on Thursday, where it announced that the LPA would develop into a tropical depression to be named “Quinta.”

At the briefing, PAGASA forecasted that TD Quinta would move towards Bicol and likely to affect the region by Sunday until Monday.

PAGASA, in its advisory, said Quinta might landfall somewhere in Sorsogon on Monday morning.

Gremil Naz, OCD Bicol spokesperson, said they expected the weather disturbance to bring moderate to heavy rains and winds on Sunday that could trigger floods, mudflow, storm surge, and landslide in low-lying and mountain slopes areas in Bicol.

Under the red alert status, the OCD advised various local disaster councils to closely monitor PAGASA advisories as it placed response agencies on standby for a possible deployment of assets and resources, once the weather disturbance worsens, Naz said.

LZB