FORETASTE OF CALAMITY Landslides block a road at Barangay Sta. Maria in Presentacion town in Camarines Sur province on Thursday as Tropical Storm “Paeng” starts dumping heavy rain on parts of Luzon. Paeng is forecast to make landfall on Sunday, potentially disrupting travel plans and other preparations for next week’s All Saints’ Day trek to the cemeteries. —Presentacion MDRRMO
It will be a rainy weekend with Tropical Storm Paeng expected to affect parts of Luzon and the Visayas just as millions of people are preparing to visit their departed loved ones on All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.
In its 4 p.m. bulletin issued on Thursday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Paeng had intensified into a tropical storm located 520 kilometers east of Borongan City, Eastern Samar.
It was moving southwestward at 10 km per hour, packing winds of up to 65 km/h and gustiness of up to 80 km/h.
At its current pace, the storm may roll past Catanduanes province on Saturday and make landfall on the eastern portions of Central Luzon or mainland Cagayan Valley on Sunday.
Pagasa said it may raise the highest possible wind signal—No. 4—if the storm later develops into a typhoon.
Tropical cyclone wind signal No. 1 was hoisted on Thursday over Catanduanes, the eastern portion of Albay, eastern portion of Sorsogon, Eastern Samar, Northern Samar and Samar.
Pagasa also warned of moderate to rough seas brought by Paeng and the surge of the northeast monsoon over Mindanao’s eastern seaboard.
“These conditions may be risky for those using small seacrafts,” the bureau said.
Evacuations
In Camarines Sur, heavy rainfall on Thursday prompted the evacuation of at least 100 people living in areas along the typhoon path while classes were suspended in some parts of the Bicol region.
Gremil Alexis Naz, spokesperson for the Office of Civil Defense Bicol, said local officials in the towns of Libmanan and Calabanga, Camarines Sur, took 39 families to temporary shelters due to intense rain at 8 a.m.
Naz said continuous rains triggered widespread flooding in at least 24 other villages in six towns in the province.
The disaster management office said a portion of a road at Barangay Sta. Maria in Presentacion town collapsed due to a rain-induced landslide.
Class suspensions due to Paeng
Camarines Norte Gov. Ricarte Padilla suspended classes at all levels in public and private schools in the province due to the heavy rainfall, and on Wednesday, ordered the preemptive evacuation of residents in high-risk areas.
Camarines Sur Gov. Vincenzo Renato Luigi Villafuerte suspended classes at all levels to give time to school personnel to safeguard their classrooms and for families to prepare for possible evacuation.
Villafuerte said seven municipalities have already reported flooding in various villages.
In Bagamanoc town in Catanduanes, Mayor Odilon Pascua suspended in-person classes and urged residents in hazard-prone areas to follow evacuation orders from local officials.
In Albay province, Legazpi City Mayor Carmen Geraldine Rosal advised residents near rivers and coastal areas to prepare for possible evacuation.
Temporarily, fishing and venturing out into the sea are prohibited, including tourist activities such as hiking, mountaineering and diving.
—REPORTS FROM Abby Boiser and Ma. April Mier-Manjares
READ: 14 areas under Wind Signal No. 1 due to Paeng