‘Carina’ makes quick entry, exit over North

STORM “Carina” (international name: Nida) made landfall in Cagayan province on Sunday afternoon, battering the nothern Luzon province with winds of up to 120 kph and dumping rain over a wide radius.

It is expected to leave the Philippine area of responsibility on Monday morning.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said in its latest bulletin that Carina was about 30 km south of Aparri, Cagayan, at 4 p.m., with maximum sustained winds of up to 95 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 120 kph.

Storm Signal No. 2 was hoisted over the provinces of Isabela, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Apayao, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Kalinga, Abra and Cagayan, including the Babuyan group of islands.

 Alert on for floods, slides

Signal No. 1 was hoisted over Batanes, Benguet, La Union, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija and Aurora.

The weather agency forecast the storm to move northwest at 20 kph, with moderate to heavy rains expected within a 500-km radius.

Areas under the signals, along with Calabarzon, Mimaropa and the rest of Central Luzon were alerted about flash floods and landslides that possibly triggered by the rains.

This morning, Carina is forecast to be 420 km west of Itbayat, Batanes, and out of the Philippine area of responsibility.

At least six domestic flights were cancelled on Sunday as Carina spawned heavy rains in provinces in northern Luzon.

In an advisory, the Manila International Airport Authority listed the following cancelled Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines Express flights as of 2 p.m. Sunday: 5J 506 Manila to Tuguegarao; 5J 507 Tuguegarao to Manila; 2P 2196 Manila to Laoag; 2P 2197 Laoag to Manila; 2P 2014 Manila to Tuguegarao; 2P 2015 Tuguegarao to Manila.

 Cagayan, W. Visayas get aid

The government sent about 32,000 food packs for distribution to storm-ravaged towns in Cagayan and Western Visayas, according to Communications Secretary Martin Andanar in an interview over state-owned dzRB radio.

“The assistance from the government is already on standby. We have a stockpile of family food packs,” he said, citing reports from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

Meanwhile, China issued a “yellow alert” for Typhoon “Nida,” predicting that it would hit the southern province of Guangdong on Tuesday,  Xinhua news agency reported.

The National Meteorological Center  issued the third-most severe alert on a four-color scale, warning of strong winds and heavy rain. Weather reports indicate it will also hit Hong Kong. With reports from Jocelyn Uy, and Marlon Ramos and from the wires