PUERTO PRINCESA CITY – Floods triggered and heavy rains brought by Severe Tropical Storm Paeng (international name: Nalgae) prompted officials to evacuate 395 individuals from villages in this city and Cuyo town in Palawan province, officials said Saturday.
In Puerto Princesa City, some 104 individuals from six barangays (villages) were brought to evacuation centers, the city disaster risk reduction and management office said.
In Cuyo, authorities evacuated around 291 individuals from the shorelines of Barangays Tenga-tenga and Cabigsing.
Floods were also reported in Barangay Poblacion in Taytay and Barangay New Barbacan in Roxas.
Meanwhile, around 227 passengers, including 13 infants, were stranded in Coron town after the Coast Guard suspended all sea travel at noon Friday.
In Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro, 92 rolling cargoes and private vehicles were stranded with 236 passengers at the holding area in Nautical Highway in Barangays Sta. Isabel and Bayanan, disaster officials said Saturday.
In its 5 a.m. bulletin Saturday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration, said the center of Paeng was located in the vicinity of Siruma, Camarines Sur, the neighboring province of Quezon.
The storm has maximum sustained winds of 95 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 160 kph.
Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 3 is raised over Camarines Norte, the northern portion of Camarines Sur (Ragay, Lupi, Sipocot, Libmanan, Cabusao, Magarao, Calabanga, Tinambac, Siruma, Goa, Tigaon, San Jose, Lagonoy, Garchitorena, Presentacion, Caramoan, Saglay, Ocampo, Pili, Bombon, Naga City, Del Gallego, Canaman, Camaligan, Milaor, Gainza, Pamplona), and the northern and eastern portions of Quezon (Tagkawayan, Guinayangan, Calauag, Quezon, Lopez, Gumaca, Plaridel, Atimonan, Mauban, Perez, Alabat, Real, Infanta, General Nakar, Sampaloc) including Pollilo Islands.
The rest of Quezon and Calapan City are under signal number 2.
Signal no. 1 was raised in the towns of Roxas, Taytay, Araceli, Dumaran and El Nido, Cuyo and Calamian Islands (Busuanga, Coron, Culion, Linapacan) (GERALD TICKE AND MADONNA T. VIROLA, INQUIRER)