18 Mindanao provinces now under Signal No. 1 due to ‘Crising’

MTSAT ENHANCED-IR Satellite Image 2 a.m., 19 February 2013

MANILA, Philippines—Four more provinces in Mindanao were put under Signal No. 1, raising the total number of provinces in the southern Philippines to 18 under the storm alert as tropical depression Crising accelerated its strength and continued to threaten Mindanao, according to the latest weather update.

As of 4 a.m. on Tuesday, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) has placed the following 18 provinces under Signal No. 1 (45-60 kph winds):

— Davao del Norte

— Davao del Sur (including Samal Island),

— Davao Oriental

— Compostela Valley

— Southern part of Surigao del Sur
— Agusan del Sur
— Bukidnon
— Lanao del Norte
— Lanao del Sur
— North Cotabato
— Maguindanao
— Sultan Kudarat
— South Cotabato
— Sarangani

— Misamis Occidental,

— Zamboanga del Norte

— Zamboanga del Sur; and

— Zamboanga Sibugay

Pagasa alerted residents living in low-lying and mountainous areas under Signal 1 against possible flashfloods and landslides.
Pagasa also advised fishing boats and other small seacrafts not to venture out into the eastern seaboards of the country and over the northern seaboard of northern Luzon.

According to Pagasa the winds brought by Crising  may result in:

— twigs and branches of trees being broken;

— some banana plants tilting;

— rice in flowering stage suffering significant damage; and

— some nipa and cogon houses being partially unroofed.

Crising was spotted 450 kilometers east of General Santos City with maximum winds of 45 kilometers per hour near the center.

It is forecast to move west northwest at 22 kph.

Crising is forecast to be 30 km northwestt of Cotabato City on Wednesday morning, 380 km northwest of Zamboanga City Thursday morning and 450 km northwest of Puerto Princesa Friday morning.—Rick Alberto