‘Hanna’ grazes Batanes; out by Saturday
Pagasa satellite image as of 3:00 AM, Friday, August 7, 2015
Typhoon “Hanna” swirled east of Batanes islands on Thursday, sucking in the southwest monsoon that dumped heavy rains over wide areas of the archipelago as far south as Mindanao.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) warned against possible landslides in Quezon City and Muntinlupa and Marikina cities from rains triggered by Hanna (international name: Soudelor) as it plowed toward Taiwan.
Flash floods caused by heavy rains over the past two weeks have killed at least seven people, including four children, in Bukidnon province, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) reported, according to the Associated Press.
The dead in Valencia City included a 6-month-old girl and three other children aged 6 to 9. They drowned on Tuesday but their bodies were retrieved on Wednesday.
At 10 p.m. on Thursday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) located the eye of the typhoon at 595 kilometers east northeast of Basco, Batanes province, with maximum sustained winds of 165 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 200 kph. It is forecast to move west northwest at 20 kph.
Pagasa said monsoon rains could trigger flash floods and landslides in the Southern Luzon region, Visayas and Mindanao.
Weather forecaster Robert Badrina said the typhoon would continue to weaken as it approached Taiwan, passing through the Philippines’ northwestern waters.
Hanna had supertyphoon strength that devastated Saipan in the Northern Marianas last week before it weakened as it swept across the Pacific.
No landfall
The typhoon is expected to dump moderate to heavy rains within its 700-km diameter although it will not make landfall, Pagasa said.
Storm Signal No. 2 was hoisted over Batanes including Itbayat as of 10 p.m. Thursday, while Signal No. 1 remained raised over Calayan and the Babuyan group of islands. It was also raised over northern Cagayan. As of Thursday afternoon, sunny weather prevailed over Batanes.
On Friday afternoon, Hanna is forecast to be 290 km northeast of Itbayat, Batanes, and is expected to be 460 km northwest of Itbayat or out of the Philippine area of responsibility by Saturday afternoon.
Badrina said cloudy skies with light to moderate rains and isolated thunderstorms were expected over Metro Manila, Calabarzon and the rest of the Bicol region during the weekend.
Metro high-risk areas
In an emergency meeting with relief officials, MMDA Chair Francis Tolentino said officials were preparing for an estimated rainfall of 7.5 millimeters on Monday.
He said landslides in some high-risk areas in the metropolis were also possible.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources said landslides could occur at Pansol, Loyola Heights, North Fairview, Greater Lagro, Old Balara, Batasan Hills, Payatas, Commonwealth (Lower Bayanihan), Bagong Silangan and Holy Spirit in Quezon City, Tunasan in Muntinlupa City and Barangay (village) Fortune in Marikina City.
“These areas are already saturated and if heavy rains will come on Monday, landslides are possible,” said Raymond Ancog, senior geologist of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau.
Zero casualty
Cagayan Valley officials on Thursday alerted local governments in the provinces of Batanes and Cagayan to activate their disaster preparedness protocols.
“We can’t be complacent,” said Odilon Pasaraba, assistant regional director of the Department of the Interior and Local Government. “Our target is still to have zero casualty.”
In a video conference from the Pagasa headquarters, disaster officials from about 20 agencies in Cagayan Valley were apprised of the chances that Hanna would affect the northern areas.
Worst-case scenario
“The worst-case scenario based on Pagasa forecast is that Hanna will come closest to the Batanes group of islands by 8 p.m. on Friday. We will likely hoist the warning signal there to No. 2,” Pasaraba said.
Days of heavy rains also triggered flash floods and landslides in Bohol and Antique provinces. No casualties were reported as of Thursday noon.
In Iloilo City, classes were suspended in all levels due to heavy rains caused by Hanna.
In Cebu, Bohol, Iloilo and Negros provinces, over 1,000 passengers were stranded after the Coast Guard suspended trips of small boats because of the gale warning by Pagasa.
Trips of roll-on, roll-off vessels continued, according to Lt. Cmdr. Ramil Palabrica, Coast Guard commander of the Bacolod Station.
The Coast Guard reported that motor tanker Masbate with 21 crew on board was stranded a kilometer from Campomanes Bay in Sipalay City after experiencing engine trouble. Its crewmen were rescued on Wednesday and the vessel would be towed to Cebu.
Flooding in Bohol
Two days of heavy rains set off floods and landslides in the southern part of Bohol, damaging seven houses and 20 hectares of rice fields, officials said.
A landslide on Tuesday morning affected the villages of Pangdan, Tejero, Cambugason and Tubod Monte in Jagna town where at least 11 families were evacuated.
Roads were also damaged in the villages of Cambugason and Tubod Monte.
Flooding affected Barangays Pagina, Poblacion, Lo-oc, Pangdan and Alijawan with waist-deep floodwater swamping some areas of Poblacion.
Knee-deep floodwaters hit Jagna Central Elementary School. Jagna Mayor Fortunato Abrenilla had suspended classes at all levels since Tuesday. Relief goods were given to the affected families.
In Alingan, Duero town, also in Bohol, five houses were partially damaged by a landslide on Aug. 1, but did not cause injuries, according to the Red Cross.
In San Remigio town in Antique, heavy rains triggered a landslide in the hinterland village of Maragubdub. No casualties were reported, according to the OCD.
Authorities evacuated more than 400 families in seven barangays in Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte, after rains swelled rivers and threatened their villages, OCD officials said in Ozamis City. Three houses were damaged in a landslide, but no injuries were reported.–With reports from Maricar B. Brizuela in Manila; Jhunnex Napallacan, Leo Udtohan, Carla P. Gomez, Joel Franco and Nestor P. Burgos Jr., Inquirer Visayas; Ryan D. Rosauro, Inquisrer Mindanao; and Melvin Gascon, Inquirer Northern Luzon.
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