75 pct chance 'Hagupit' to hit PH: PAGASA

MANILA - Weather bureau PAGASA on Wednesday said there is a 75 percent chance that Typhoon Hagupit will make landfall in the Philippines, particularly in Eastern Samar, this Saturday.

According to PAGASA Deputy Administrator Dr. Landrico Dalida, Jr., the country should prepare for two scenarios: that of Hagupit making landfall, and that of the typhoon changing track.

At present, there is a 75% chance that it will hit land, and 25% of it changing track.

"So far, as of this time, nakikita po natin na mayroong 75 to 25 percent ratio. Ibig sabihin, may 75% na mag-landfall, at 25% po na ito ay magre-curve," Dalida said.

He added: "Sa Sabado ng hapon, tatama ito sa Eastern Samar which is 75% po ang probability and 25% it will curve northward."

In case Hagupit makes landfall, the provinces of Eastern Samar, Cebu, Panay and Mindoro will be affected, before it exits through the West Philippine Sea by Sunday or Monday.

In case it changes track due to the effect of other weather systems in the area, Hagupit will bring rain to the provinces of Samar and Bicol region, as well as in Northern Midnanao.

Dalida added that it is important that all local government units should be prepared by Friday, which is very critical.

Once the typhoon hits land, it is expected to pack maximum sustained winds of 160 kilometers per hours, and gusts of up to 190 kph.

It may also bring storm surges 3 to 4 meters high in Eastern Samar, as well as 5 to 22 millimeters of rain.

Based on latest data from state weather bureau PAGASA, "Hagupit"was spotted 1,543 kilometers east of Davao City.

The typhoon, which will be named 'Ruby' once it enters the PAR on Thursday, was packing maximum sustained winds of 140 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gusts of up to 170 kph.

Hagupit was moving west northwest at 30 kph.

44 provinces 'critical'

Forty-four provinces were also declared critical areas by NDRRMC and PAGASA. There provinces are expected to experience heavy to intense rains, and strong winds from 95 to 110 kilometers per hour.

These provinces are Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Aklan, Albay, Antique, Biliran, Bohol, Bukidnon, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Camiguin, Capiz, Catanduanes, Cebu, Compostela Valley, Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental, Dinagat Island, Eastern Samar, Guimaras, Iloilo, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Leyte, Marinduque, Masbate, Misamis Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Northern Samar, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Palawan, Quezon, Romblon, Samar, Siquijorr, Sorsogon, Southern Leyte, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga del Sur.

The provinces of Batangas, Davao del Sur, Laguna, Maguindanao, North Cotabato, and Zamboanga Sibugay are also expected to experience moderate to heavy rains.

The weather bureau warned the typhoon is bringing heavy rain, which could trigger flash floods and landslides in mountainous areas.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) urged the public to heed warnings and to follow instructions given by local government officials.

In a press conference, NDRRMC Executive Director Usec. Alexander Pama asked residents of provinces on the typhoon's path to heed the warning from authorities.

"Ang umpisa po ng disaster risk reduction ay sa mga indibidwal, sa mga pamilya. At tayo po ay nakikiusap sa ating mga kababayan na tayo po ay makinig sa mga warning ng mga namumuno sa barangay, at kung puwede po ay sundin," Pama said.

He also warned fishermen from going out to sea once Typhoon 'Hagupit' enters the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).

Meanwhile, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said it has prepared 100,000 family food packs ready to be distributed to those who will need assistance.

DSWD regional offices have also prepared 30,000 food packs per region.

The agency added that it has ensured that all food stockpiles will be kept safe in case their offices are affected by storm surges.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

'Mario' kills 1, affects 470,000 Pinoys

MANILA - Tens of thousands of people fled roof-high floods and one girl drowned in the Philippine capital on Friday as another vicious storm swept across the disaster-plagued country.

Rescue workers in trucks and rubber dinghies plucked residents from the tops of flooded homes, after one of Manila's major rivers burst its banks, swamping heavily populated eastern districts.

"We're dealing with floods over a large area. Our local as well as national responders are out there leading the rescue operations," Mina Marasigan, spokeswoman for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council told AFP.

She said the first known fatality was a girl who drowned at a flooded slum in northern Manila.

Undersecretary Alexander Pama of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said a total of 104,339 families or nearly half a million people were affected by floods and heavy rains brought by Tropical Storm Mario.

Of this number, a total of 10,852 families or 40,039 persons are staying in 63 evacuation centers nationwide.

A landslide incident was also reported in Antipolo City before dawn Friday, damaging portions of walls and electric posts. No casualties were reported.

Tropical Storm Mario's winds were relatively light, with recorded maximum speeds of 85 kilometers (40 miles) an hour as it brushed past the northeast tip of the main island of Luzon around noon (0400 GMT).

However it brought heavy downpours of more than three weeks' worth overnight Thursday across Manila, more than 400 kilometers to the south, state weather forecaster Gener Quitlong told AFP.

The hardest-hit area appeared to be the Marikina river valley in eastern Manila, where brown, swiftly flowing water rose at least a storey high on heavily populated communities near its banks.

Rescuers aboard rubber dinghies, some motorized and some powered by paddles, plucked people from flooded homes, an AFP reporting team saw.

People held on to lengths of rope to get to high ground safely and avoid being pulled by the strong currents.

Two soldiers involved in the rescue sat on the bonnet of a stranded military truck that appeared to have been disabled, while the roofs of cars and other smaller vehicles bobbed above the floodwaters.

WATERS RISING
Marikina Mayor Del de Guzman told ABS-CBN that at least 27,000 of his constituents had to be evacuated.

"The scenario is getting worse. The flood waters are rising. Our rescue teams are stranded in major thoroughfares," Kit Nieto, mayor of the nearby district of Cainta, where 7,000 other people were evacuated, told the station.

In all, flooding had forced at least 50,000 people to flee their homes in and around Manila, Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman told a news conference.

"I am angry that I have to do this each time it rains hard," lawyer Ghelynne del Rosario told AFP, whose northern Manila bungalow was swamped by chest-deep floods.

Cradling her dog, she said she, her mother and grandmother -- who is in her eighties -- waded through the water at daybreak to reach safety on the second floor of a neighbor's house, with her two other dogs swimming alongside her.

An average of 20 typhoons hit the Philippines each year, killing hundreds and bringing misery to millions.

Super Typhoon Haiyan, the strongest ever to hit land, left 7,300 people dead or missing across the central Philippines in November last year.

The government declared a school holiday Friday and sent home government employees not involved in rescue operations and medical emergencies, while financial markets closed down.

Manila airport authorities cancelled 21 domestic flights, with six international flights also diverted elsewhere in the country due to bad weather, they said in a statement.

A thoroughly drenched office clerk Alyssa Aldea, 22, decided to return home after finding the street outside her Manila office blocked by knee-deep floods.

"I'd rather not get paid than get sick" by wading through the floodwaters, she told AFP as she contemplated a long bus commute back home.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Super typhoon Yolanda stronger than Pablo: US military

Super typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan) will be packing maximum sustained winds of around 268 kilometers per hour (kph) and gusts reaching 324 kph when it slams into the Samar-Leyte area Friday, the US military's weather bureau said Wednesday.

In comparison, super typhoon Pablo had 259 kph sustained winds and 314 kph gusts when it hit Mindanao in December 2012, according to the Hawaii-based Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) run by the US Navy and Air Force.

The JTWC expects Yolanda to reach peak strength today, November 6, and sustain its full Category 5 ferocity until it makes landfall.

The weather agency said the super typhoon is already carrying 250 kph maximum sustained winds and 305 kph gusts as it barrels toward the Philippines.

It expects the tropical cyclone to intensify further in the next 36 hours while it crosses the warm waters of the Philippine Sea.

"STY Haiyan (Yolanda) will make landfall just prior to TAU 48, over the Central Philippines. [It] will weaken as it tracks across the Philippine islands, but should emerge over the South China Sea as a 110 knot (203 kph) typhoon," the JTWC added.

State weather bureau PAGASA has yet to raise public storm warning signals in the country, as of posting Wednesday night, as the tropical cyclone is still out of the Philippine area of responsibility.

The weather bureau said storm signal number 4 could be raised in Bicol and eastern Visayas, where it is expected to make landfall.

"Nakikita natin na talagang malakas yung bagyo. Dapat maghanda tayo dahil pupwede po talagang mag-iissue tayo ng pinakamataas nating signal," PAGASA acting deputy administrator Flaviana Hilario said Wednesday.

"Iyung hangin na tatama dun sa isang lugar ay lalagpas sa 185 kph. Iyun pa lamang ay talagang delubyo na yung mangyayari dun sa area na tataasan natin ng signal number 4," said Robert Sawi, officer-in-charge of PAGASA's weather division.

Sawi said Yolanda's strong winds could be powerful enough to uproot large trees, topple electric posts, and tear roofs off houses.

"Iyung intensity na 185 kph, sobrang lakas na ito, baka halos wala nang matirang puno sa lugar," he said.

PAGASA doesn't have a super typhoon category and its measurements on the strength of cyclones differ from the JTWC and foreign agencies.





Philippines prepares 

Meantime, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) expressed optimism Wednesday on preparedness measures for the incoming super typhoon that is expected to hit central Philippines on Friday afternoon.

The cyclone is expected to directly affect the Visayas, Northern Mindanao, and up to the Bicol Region.

In a press briefing, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said that they have drawn up an action plan.

Bohol province is a special concern for the NDRRMC because the communities on the island were severely affected by the recent magnitude 7.2 earthquake last October 15.

Authorities were told by PAGASA that super typhoon Yolanda will not hit Bohol directly.

PAGASA Director Vic Malano said Yolanda was still in the Pacific Ocean, outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility, and was packing sustained winds of 175 kph, based on the bureau's measurements.

Malano said cyclones gain strength while moving across the ocean.

The state weather bureau, in a press briefing Wednesday, said Yolanda could be strongest typhoon to hit the country this year.

Hospitals in Bohol were advised to evacuate their patients from buildings, and those staying in tents were told to go to more sturdy shelters.

The Bohol provincial government is now looking for new evacuation sites for people fleeing the cyclone's wrath. Most evacuation centers in the province were destroyed during the recent quake.

Interior Secretary Mar Roxas said the government is now trying to look for safer structures for quake victims in Bohol.

The DSWD said 83,203 packs of relief goods are already pre-postioned in areas that will be hit by the super typhoon.

The Department of Education, meanwhile, ordered school officials to coordinate with barangay officials for the possible conversion of schools into evacuation centers.

So far, only Albay Governor Joey Salceda and Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide have sent word to the NDRRMC on the declaration of class suspensions in all levels starting Thursday in their respective areas.

The DPWH is also pre-positioning equipment in areas on the supertyphoon's path.

Romblon, meanwhile, has been placed on red alert, the provincial government said.

Tony Salsona, head of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, said the move will help prepare Rombon which could be directly hit by the super typhoon.

Fishermen in the province have also been barred from going out to sea.






UN on alert 

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) also raised an alert Wednesday on the typhoon's impending landfall.

It said Yolanda is now classified as a Category 4 cyclone as it moves towards the Philippines.

"Various weather forecast models have compared Haiyan to Category 5 Typhoon Mike (locally known as Ruping) which hit the Philippines in November 1990," UNOCHA said.

Ruping killed 508 people, destroyed 222,026 houses, and damaged 630,885 other houses.

"The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim has offered to provide technical support in joint rapid needs assessment to the Executive Director of the NDRRMC which was welcomed," UNOCHA said in a statement.

"A UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination team is being deployed in close coordination with the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management to enhance the capacity of the Humanitarian Country Team to support the government," it added. - with reports from Jorge Cariño and Jeff Canoy, ABS-CBN News; Dennis Datu, dzMM; ANC

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Rains, floods bring death, destruction to PH

Torrential rain relentlessly battered the flood-soaked Philippine capital and surrounding farming areas on Tuesday, raising this week's monsoon death toll to 7.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said four more people drowned, bringing the death toll to 7.

The drowning victims were 3-year-old Jeric Sorgello of Mariveles, Bataan; 11-month-old Jian Charles Centeno of Malolos, Bulacan; 1-year-old Justin Viray of Minalin, Pampanga and 64-year-old Renato Roman Lacsamana of Lubao, Pampanga.

The first three fatalities were identified as 30-year-old Franco Pedrito Cawayan, who died in a vehicular accident in Cabugao, Apayao; 39-year-old Celedenonio Gamban, who drowned in Tanza, Cavite; and five-year-old Austin Guarismo Betasolo who was hit by a collapsed concrete fence in Binangonan, Rizal.

The deluge, caused by the combined effects of tropical storm "Maring" and the enhanced southwest monsoon (habagat), left 11 people wounded and 4 missing.

At least 125,024 families or 601,104 individuals, most of whom came from Central Luzon and Calabarzon, have been affected by strong rains and floods.

Some 64 roads in Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Cordillera Administrative Region and National Capital Region (NCR) were still impassable due to floods as of Tuesday morning.

Schools and government offices in Manila and many neighboring regions were closed for a second consecutive day, as floods swelled high into urban as well as rural homes.

The state weather agency warned the rain would continue through Tuesday, issuing its top level red alert for Manila and neighboring provinces.

The red alert means "serious flooding" is likely in low-lying areas, and more than three centimeters (1.8 inches) of rain is expected every hour.

The Southeast Asian archipelago endures about 20 major storms or typhoons annually, generally in the second half of the year and many of them deadly. With Agence France-Presse

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

'Pablo' death toll climbs to 274 – NDRRMC

The death toll from typhoon “Pablo” has climbed to 274, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Center (NDRRMC) said on Wednesday.

NDRRMC executive director Benito Ramos said most of the deaths were caused by landslides and flashfloods, particularly in Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental, where the typhoon made landfall Tuesday morning.

Ramos said 339 people were reported injured while 279 are still missing.

A separate report from Interior and Local Secretary Mar Roxas, meanwhile, said 319 people are reported missing in New Bataan town, Compostela Valley alone.

Lt. Col. Lyndon Paniza, spokesman of the Armed Forces of the Philippines 10th Infantry Division, said among the casualties in New Bataan were 4 soldiers of the 66th Infantry Division.

Twenty-three soldiers were hurt while 7 remain missing.

Paniza said the soldiers were helping residents cross a river when they were swept away by flashfloods.

“Nandoon sila sa area para mag-conduct ng rescue operation. ‘Yung kanilang company headquarters ay nasa lugar na ‘yun,” he told dzMM.

Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman and other local officials described scenes of utter devastation with houses and other structures in some towns and villages ripped apart by Pablo, considered the most powerful storm to hit the country this year.

"There are very few structures left standing in the town of Cateel," she told AFP.

"We need to rush to these areas body bags, medicines, dry clothes and most importantly tents, because survivors are living out in the open after the typhoon blew away homes and rooftops."

Pablo weakens

Pablo (international name Bopha) slammed into Mindanao Tuesday morning, uprooting trees and blowing away homes with 210 kilometer per hour gusts.

But the typhoon weakened as it hit land, and is now packing winds of 120 kph and gusts of up to 150 kph.

PAGASA said the typhoon is expected to leave the Philippine Area of Responsibility Thursday night or early Friday.

It was last spotted 110 kilometers northwest of Roxas, Palawan.

Signal 3 is still up in northern Palawan and the Calamian group of islands. The rest of Palawan is under signal 2.

Signal 1 is hoisted over Occidental Mindoro.

Pablo is the 16th storm to hit the country this year. In December last year, Mindanao was also ravaged by tropical storm “Sendong”, which killed more than 1,200 people and left hundreds of thousands homeless.-- With Agence France-Presse

source: abs-cbnnews.com

2 Quake Survivors Found

MANILA, Philippines — Two survivors of the powerful earthquake that jolted Negros Oriental last Monday were recovered from the wreckage of their house, government officials reported Friday.

Five more bodies were recovered Friday as rescue work resumed in spite of continuing aftershocks.

National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) Executive Director Benito Ramos reported Friday that the two survivors were found in Barangay Kagawas, a mountainside barangay in Guihulngan City.

Ramos said the two, who both suffered injuries, were pinned under their collapsed house.

They were discovered by their neighbors who brought them down the mountain.

Ramos said the survivors were airlifted to a hospital in Dumaguete City.

The five bodies were found in the landslide-hit barangays of La Libertad and Guihulngan.

Ramos described one of the retrieved in Barangay Planas, Guihulngan, as that of a "headless woman".

The death toll in Monday’s magnitude 6.9 quake stood at 39 Friday, with 66 people missing.

Ramos said the chance is slim more survivors will be found especially from the landslides in La Liberta and Guihulngan, but they are not giving up hope.

He listed underwear and sanitary napkins as among immediate needs of the quake victims, aside from food, drinking water, medicines, and mosquito nets.

NDRRMC executive director Benito Ramos said the recovery of five more bodies- two in Barangay Solonggon in La Libertad town and three in Barangay Planas, Guihulngan City.

The NDRRMC placed the number of stricken families from 106 barangays in Guihulngan City, Bais City, and the towns of La Libertad, Jimalalud, Ayungon, Bindoy (Payabon), Manuyod Tayasan, and Villahermoso at 21,076, or 93,397 people.

A total of 6,572 families or 32,869 people are staying at 21 evacuation centers.

The quake also destroyed 1,411 houses and damaged 1,566.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said it has recorded 1,422 aftershocks as of Friday.

Dr. Renato Solidum, Phivolcs director, 85 of the aftershocks were strong enough to be felt.

Helping in the search for survivors and bodies are a 49-member team deployed jointly by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), Philippine Mine Safety and Environment Association (PMSEA), Carmen Copper Corporation, Apex Mining Corporation, Philex Mining Corporation, Philippine Saga Mining Corporation, and Quarry Ventures Philippines Incorporated.

The PMSEA is an organization of mining companies, quarries, cement plants, suppliers, service contractors, professional organizations and government agencies that advocates a national campaign against occupational safety, health and environmental hazards of mining and its related operations.

Damage to roads and bridges in Negro Oriental has been extensive. But the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said Friday that the damaged roads and bridges will be passable by the middle of next week.

DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson said President Benigno S. Aquino III instructed them to immediately repair the road networks and public markets to restore commerce in Guihulngan and the towns of Jimalalud, Tayasa, and La Libertad.

Singson said in the meantime, Bailey bridges will be built and alternate routes will be set up. (Francis T. Wakefield, Phoebe Jen Indino, Jun Ramirez, Kris Bayos, and JC Bello Ruiz)

source: mb.com.ph