Pagasa: 1,763 barangays very prone to flashfloods due to depression

Track of Tropical Depression “Agaton” as of 5 p.m. Monday, Jan. 1, 2018.

Published: 6:54 p.m., Jan. 1, 2018 | Updated: 8:06 p.m., Jan. 1, 2018

Due to Tropical Depression “Agaton, ”1,763 barangays are very prone to flashfloods and 382 others are susceptible to landslides, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

Here are the provinces where the barangays are susceptible to flashfloods;

• In Luzon: Albay, Camarines Norte, Sorsogon
• In the Visayas: Eastern Samar, Leyte, Northern Samar, Samar, Eastern Samar, Southern Leyte, Leyte, Bohol, Northern Samar
• In Mindanao: Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Lanao del Sur, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del
  Sur, Davao del Sur, Lanao del Norte, Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga del Sur

And here are the provinces where the barangays are susceptible to landslides:

• In Luzon: Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Sorsogon, Palawan, Romblon
• In the Visayas: Eastern Samar, Leyte, Northern Samar, Southern Leyte, Bohol, Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Iloilo, Negros Occidental
• in Mindanao: Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Lanao del Sur, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del
  Sur, Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental, Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga del Sur

Based on the 5 p.m. weather update of Pagasa on Monday, Agaton is around 175 km east-northeast of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur.

Landfall over Caraga area is expected Monday night.

Agaton, which Pagasa likens to Tropical Storm “Vinta,” has a maximum gustiness of 45 to 60 kph, traveling westward at 19 kph.

“It resembles [the track of] Vinta. That’s what we are afraid of,” Pagasa Director Esperanza Cayanan said. “The strong rains have just finished and the land is still moist. We are warning again. People there are already prepared, but we advised them to watch out for flashfloods and landslides.”

“Even though the rainfall will not be that hard, if it accumulates would casuse landslide,” she added. “It’s a bit less than Vinta, but we should remain cautious.”

Scattered to widespread moderate to heavy rains are expected over the Bicol Region in Luzon, Eastern Visayas, and the Caraga and Davao regions in Mindanao.

After landfall, Agaton is expected to cross through Caraga, Northern Mindanao, Zamboanga Peninsula and Southern Palawan.

According to Pagasa, 166 barangays in Mindanao are prone to landslides, mostly in the Caraga region, along with 189 barangays in the Visayas, and 27 in Luzon.

Meanwhile, 611 barangays are prone to flashflood in Mindanao, along with 976 in Visayas, and 27 in Luzon, mostly in Albay.

Residents of these areas are advised to take precautions against possible flooding and landslides and to coordinate with the local Disaster Risk Reduction Management offices, Pagasa said.

Sea travel is canceled in areas under Storm Signal No 1.

READ: Storm Signal No. 1 raised in several areas as LPA turns into depression

Sea travel is risky over the seaboards of Northern Luzon, eastern seabords of Central and Southern Luzon; and eastern and weastern seaboards of Visayas due to the surge of the Northeast Monsoon, it added.

On Tuesday, the storm will be around 65 km east of Dipolog City.

On Wednesday, it is projected to be around 80 km southeast of Puerto Princesa.

By Thursday, the tropical storm is expected to be outside the Philippine area of responsibility, or at 90 km east of Pagasa Island, Palawan.

Meanwhile, in Metro Manila, Agaton will affect northeast monsoon, or amihan, which might bring light rains and low temperatures. /atm