Zoraida now an LPA after hitting southeastern Mindanao

Tropical depression Zoraida has weakened into a Low Pressure Area (LPA), the state weather bureau said yesterday afternoon.

But not after reliving memories of last year’s devastating typhoon Pablo (international name Bopha) as it made landfall in southeastern Mindanao.

Here in the Cebu City port, over 3,000 passengers, many going to Eastern Visayas which bore the brunt of Supertyphoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) were stranded after the Philippine Coast Guard grounded sea vessels while storm warning signal no. 1 was up. Sea voyages resumed late yesterday afternoon.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama announced around noon the suspension of pre-school, elementary and high school classes in both private and public schools. Mandaue City Mayor Cortes also issued a similar order.

At the provincial capitol, Neil Sanchez, head of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC) said they have warned people living in coastal communities and landslide-prone areas to evacuate.

“We have the same preparations as far as typhoons are concerned. We have been disseminating advisories to all localities in the province every two hours. We are coordinating with the police and local government units.

According to Ensign Donna Liza Ramacho of the PCG Cebu station, all grounded vessels were allowed to sail at 5 p.m.

A total of 44 passenger vessels, five motorbancas and 52 roll-on/roll-off vessels were affected by the suspension of sea travel while storm warning signal no. 1 was in effect.

In southeastern Mindanao, hundreds of families were moved to safer ground as rain continued to pound Compostela Valley and Davao del Norte due to Tropical Depression Zoraida yesterday, the authorities said.

The preemptive evacuation proved helpful especially in a mining village in the municipality of Monkayo in Compostela Valley as no one was reported hurt or missing after a landslide occurred there around 7:30 a.m. yesterday, said Senior Supt. Camilo Cascolan, the provincial police chief.

In its 3:30 p.m. advisory, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said the LPA was last spotted in the vicinity of San Francisco, Agusan Del Sur or at 40 kilometers west-northwest of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur.

The LPA is expected to be 110 km south-southwest of Cuyo, Palawan by Wednesday and will be out of the Philippine Area of Responsibility by Thursday.

Pagasa warned moderate to heavy rains will still persist over Central and Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula and Northern Mindanao. Light to moderate rains is expected over the rest of Visayas and Mindanao. /Ador Vincent Mayol, Jhunnex Napallacan And Inquirer