Bebeng now a storm; flood, landslide warnings issued

MANILA, Philippines—Residents of Bicol, Eastern Visayas and North Luzon should prepare for floods and landslides brought by the rains of tropical storm “Bebeng,” a cyclone whose slow speed and wide rain band promise heavy and sustained rains over the next two days, the weather bureau said Saturday.

As of 4 p.m. Saturday, the storm was spotted 220 kilometers east of Legazpi City and was moving northwest at 13 kph, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration said.

Bebeng (international codename: Aere) , which was upgraded to storm from tropical depression category Saturday afternoon due to its increased strength, had center winds of 65 kph and gustiness of up to 80 kph. Tropical depressions have maximum wind strength of 60 kph.

Robert Sawi, Pagasa’s chief forecaster, said Bebeng could gain strength as it approached the eastern seaboard. “It could intensify further,” he said.

Bebeng is second cyclone of the year and the first to slam the country in 2011. Cyclone Amang, the first storm of the year, formed off the coast of eastern Mindanao early last month, but dissipated before it could hit land.

As the storm churned closer to land, Pagasa placed five provinces under storm signal No. 2. These provinces were Northern Samar, Sorsogon, Albay, Camarines Sur, and Catanduanes.

Storm signal No. 1 was declared in Masbate, Ticao Island, Burias Island, Camarines Norte, Quezon, Polillo Island, Aurora, Marinduque, Eastern Samar and Western Samar, Pagasa said.

Sawi said the provinces on the path of Bebeng should prepare for floods and landslides. They should also be ready for evacuation, and people in coastal towns should stay farther inland due to storm surges, he added.

Fishermen in Southern Luzon and the Visayas were advised not to venture out to sea.

Sawi described Bebeng as a “slow-moving” cyclone that would hover longer over land.

“This is what we are worried about. The slower it is, the more rains there will be,” Sawi said.

It was predicted to make landfall in Catanduanes Sunday morning and move northwest inland.

By Monday morning, Bebeng is expected to dump rains in the provinces of Isabela and Aurora. Bebeng was forecast to leave the country on Tuesday morning.

The rest of the country, like Manila and Mindanao, will have cloudy skies and isolated rainshowers.

Nathaniel Servando, Pagasa administrator, said it was rare for the Philippines to get a typhoon in the first week of May.

Based on Pagasa’s records since 1948, there were only 11 typhoons that hit the country in the early part of May. “They usually come in the last week of the month,” Servando said.

Servando noted that the early storms could be an effect of the La Niña weather phenomenon, which happens when the temperature of the Pacific Ocean drops.

La Niña, which has led to more moisture in the atmosphere in the western Pacific, peaked last January to February.

Although the temperature in the Pacific has started to normalize, La Nina’s effects would still be felt in the Philippines, the Pagasa chief said.

“There is usually a lag time in the local weather,” Servando said.