Nika out but Ofel threatens Northern Luzon

FARM DAMAGE Farmlands in the borders of the City of Ilagan and Tumauini town in Isabela province are still submerged on Tuesday, a day after Tropical Storm Nika (international name: Toraji) dumped heavy rains that caused widespread flooding. —Photos by Villamor Visaya Jr.

MANILA, Philippines — Tropical Storm Nika (international name: Toraji), which battered Northern Luzon provinces this week, left the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) on Tuesday, but personnel of the government weather bureau had yet to rest as they continued monitoring two other tropical cyclones, with Severe Tropical Storm Ofel (Usagi) entering the country’s territory on the same day.

Ofel was moving west northwestward at a speed of 30 kilometers per hour and was located 780 km east of Virac, Catanduanes, as of the weather bureau’s 5 p.m. bulletin on Tuesday.

READ: Ofel now a severe tropical storm, to steadily intensify over 3 days

The storm was forecast to make landfall along the eastern coast of Cagayan or Isabela by Thursday afternoon or evening, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa). These same provinces were devastated by the successive typhoons that hit the country starting late last month.

However, Pagasa warned that areas outside the landfall point might still experience hazards on land and on coastal waters, and the track of the storm might still change.

Ofel has maximum sustained winds of 95 km/h near the center and gustiness of 115 km/h. It is expected to steadily intensify within the next three days.

Pagasa is also monitoring Tropical Storm Man-yi which is still outside PAR. On Tuesday, the storm was located 2,495 km east of Virac, Catanduanes, with maximum wind speeds of 75 km/h near the center and gustiness of 90 km/h.

It is moving westward at 30 km/h and will be given the local name Pepito when it enters PAR. It will be the fourth tropical cyclone to enter the country in November.

‘Not unusual’

Still, the successive cyclones were “not unusual,” according to Ana Liza Solis, chief of Pagasa’s climate monitoring and prediction section.

“If we look at the data, historically, this is not unusual. In fact, since 1951, there have been around seven instances wherein we had even more storms during the month of November,” she said. “In 1945, we had six storms to enter during November.”

Speaking at a forum organized by the Quezon City Journalist Inc. on Tuesday, Solis said the increase in the number of storms was due to “La Niña-like conditions” that result in the warming of parts of the Pacific Ocean.

“When there is predeveloping La Niña, there is unusual cooling at the middle and eastern parts of the Pacific, while there is unusual warming near us,” she said.

Solis noted that Pagasa had previously warned in July that La Niña may develop around the months of August, September and October, and will likely persist until the first quarter of next year.

ANIMAL SAFETY Residents in low-lying communities in the City of Ilagan in Isabela bring their farm animals to higher grounds on Tuesday as floodwaters continue to rise after the onslaught of Tropical Storm Nika.

Evacuation

In Cagayan Valley, widespread flooding continued in Isabela and Cagayan provinces, with the number of evacuees rising to more than 7,000 families (22,136 people), according to local disaster response offices.

In Isabela, Criselda Balingao, 52, described the floodwaters as “swift and raging,” forcing her to flee from the flood-prone Capitol Hills Subdivision in the City of Ilagan early Monday.

“We didn’t expect the water to rise so quickly, but thankfully, we had already moved our important belongings to the second floor before leaving,” she said.

Esmeralda Tolentino, 68, said her community in the flood-prone Fugu village was again isolated, just two weeks after they were displaced by flooding caused by Typhoons Leon (Kong-rey) and Marce (Yinxing).

In neighboring Cagayan, Rogelio Sending Jr., the provincial information officer, said Baggao town had the biggest number of evacuees, at 1,160 families (3,530 people), who fled their homes to avoid floods and landslides.

In Dilasag, Aurora, where Nika made landfall on Monday, at least 222 houses were damaged and two residents were injured.

The provincial government also reported that 8,037 families (22,191 people) across eight towns in Aurora were affected, with 12,654 still in evacuation centers.

No damage to airports

Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) on Tuesday said Luzon airports were spared by Nika.

CAAP spokesperson Eric Apolonio told reporters via Viber that the airports in Vigan City (Ilocos Sur), Lingayen (Pangasinan) and Baguio City were back to normal operations on Tuesday but commercial flights remained suspended due to cloudy weather with light to moderate wind.

Meanwhile, Laoag International Airport was back on operation with no canceled flights reported on Tuesday.

The airports in Basco (Batanes), Tuguegarao City (Cagayan) and Cauayan City (Isabela) are also operational, Apolonio said.

“Commercial flights have resumed but nonscheduled flights to coastal areas are suspended while general aviation is on standby,” he said. —with reports from Joanna Rose Aglibot and Jerome Aning