Sea trips from Sorsogon to Samar canceled due to ‘Agaton’

LIGAO CITY — Sea trips to Samar provinces from the ports in Sorsogon province were canceled by the Philippine Coast Guard and Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council early Sunday morning (April 10) due to the threat of Tropical Storm “Agaton”.

An advisory relayed to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Bicol said the suspension started at 5 a.m.

“This is for the protection of the lives of ship crews and passengers so the authorities are cancelling the trips heading to Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, Leyte and Camotes,” Gremil Alexis Naz, OCD Bicol spokesperson, said.

At 7:30 a.m., Agaton made landfall over Calicoan Island in Guiuan town, Eastern Samar, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said in a post on its Facebook page.

Agaton’s maximum sustained winds is at 75 km/h near the center with gustiness of up to 105 km/h. It is moving West northwestward at 10 km/h.

Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) number 1 was raised over the southern portion of Eastern Samar (Guiuan, Mercedes, Salcedo, Quinapondan, Giporlos, Balangiga, Lawaan, General Macarthur, Hernani, Llorente, Balangkayan, Maydolong, Borongan City), the southern portion of Samar (Marabut, Basey, Calbiga, Pinabacdao, Villareal, Santa Rita), and the northeastern portion of Leyte (Babatngon, Tacloban City, Palo, Tanauan, Tolosa).

TCWS number 1 prevails over the rest of Eastern Samar, the rest of Samar, Northern Samar, Biliran, the rest of Leyte, Southern Leyte, and the northeastern portion of Cebu (Daanbantayan, Medellin, Bogo City, Tabogon, Borbon) including Camotes Islands.

Meanwhile, the Coast Guard is yet to suspend sea trips bound for the island provinces of Catanduanes and Masbate.

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