Low pressure area sighted off Eastern Samar

MANILA, Philippines — As Tropical Storm Siony left the Philippine area of responsibility on Saturday, weather forecasters warned that a low pressure area (LPA) off Eastern Samar could intensify into a tropical depression as it moves across the archipelago.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said the LPA was spotted 75 kilometers northeast of Borongan City at 4 p.m. on Saturday and it may cause moderate to heavy rains over the Bicol Region, Eastern Visayas, and Aurora and Quezon provinces.

Pagasa said the LPA, which will be named “Tonyo” if it develops into a storm, may pass the Visayas and southern Luzon islands before turning into a tropical depression in the Sulu Sea on Sunday or early Monday.

The LPA may also move toward the West Philippine Sea before developing into a storm.

“Just the same, we need to prepare for heavy rains that could lead to floods and landslides, especially in Eastern Visayas, Bicol and Mimaropa regions. These areas were hit by recent typhoons so there is high risk of hazards,” Pagasa weather forecaster Ariel Rojas said.

The Bicol Region is still reeling from the impact of Typhoons “Quinta” and “Rolly,” which displaced thousands of people and left some P6 billion worth of crops and infrastructure damaged.

Relief

According to the Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Center (Dromic) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, over 410,000 families from Bicol, Eastern Visayas, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa and Metro Manila were affected by Rolly.

Dromic said 16,948 houses were destroyed while more than 79,000 houses were partially damaged. Nearly 24,000 families, or 95,700 persons, remain in 911 evacuation areas, it added.

More than P50.4 million worth of relief assistance from the national and local governments and nongovernmental organizations were directed to the regions that were affected by Rolly.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has set up satellite internet connectivity in hard-hit Catanduanes, augmenting recovery efforts by the commercial carriers.

The DICT said it deployed very-small-aperture terminal in Virac, classified as ground zero of the typhoon.

“We hope to provide vital connectivity services to ground zero Catanduanes to help the government and the humanitarian community respond to the recovery needs of the province,” Communications Secretary Gregorio Honasan II said.

“By doing this, we can enable timely status updates, get relevant news, and improve coordination and assistance efforts,” he added.

The DICT said there were three Wi-Fi hubs in Catanduanes.

Other sites are still down or experiencing intermittent connection due to damage from the typhoons.

The DICT said it was working to restore these sites at the soonest possible time.

Zero casualties

Siony, on the other hand, damaged P4.9 million worth of produce in Batanes alone, but the province’s infrastructure and public utilities were left unscathed, according to Gov. Marilou Cayco.

Cayco said there were no casualties among the residents. She attributed this to the province’s early preparations.

When warning came that Siony would hit the province, she convened the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council to keep a close watch on the storm and to distribute relief goods even before the typhoon struck, she said.

The residents also immediately secured the roofs and windows of their houses and evacuated to safer areas, she said.

—With reports from Miguel R. Camus and Leila B .Salaverria