Walang Pasok: Class suspensions for December 8

MANILA  - Several local government units suspended classes on Monday, December 8, due to the threat posed by typhoon ''Ruby'' (international name: Hagupit).

ALL LEVELS:

Bohol
Cadiz City, Negros Occidental
Carcar City
Camarines Norte
Camarines Sur
Cavite province
Cebu Province (Cebu cities to make own declaration)
Laguna
Las Piñas City
Lapu-Lapu City
Malabon City
Mandaluyong City
Mandaue City
Manila
Marikina City
Muntinlupa City
Naga City
Navotas City
Oriental Mindoro
Parañaque City
Pasay City
Pasig City
Pateros
Quezon City
Rizal Province
San Juan City
Taguig City
Talisay City
Valenzuela City

PRESCHOOL TO HIGH SCHOOL

Busuanga, Palawan
Caloocan City
Coron, Palawan
Culion, Palawan
Palawan, Palawan
Northern Palawan(Until December 9)

The Department of Education (DepEd) has also reminded school administrators and students of automatic class suspension guidelines as stipulated in Executive Order No. 66, s. 2012.

STORM SIGNALS

Storm signal number 3 has been hoisted over the following areas. These areas should expect winds of 101 to 185 kph in at least 18 hours.

Masbate, Ticao Island, Sorsogon, Albay including Burias Island, Romblon, Northern Samar and Samar.

 Signal number 2 (winds of 61 to 100 kph in at least 24 hours) is up over the following areas:

Catanduanes, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Southern Quezon, Batangas including Lubang Island, Cavite, Laguna, Oriental Mindoro and Occidental Mindoro. Aklan, Capiz, Northern Cebu including Cebu City, Bantayan Island, Eastern Samar, Biliran, Leyte and Southern Leyte.

 Signal number 1 (winds of 30 to 60 kph in at least 36 hours) remains up over the following areas:

LUZON: Rest of Quezon, Rizal, Pampanga, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Zambales, Bataan, Northern Palawan, Metro Manila, Antique, Iloilo, Rest of Cebu and Bohol, Dinagat Province and Siargao Island.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

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

Britain evacuates thousands after storm surge

LONDON - British authorities evacuated thousands of people from coastal towns in Britain after a huge storm lashing northern Europe unleashed the worst tidal surge in 60 years, officials said Friday.

The worst of the flood waters were receding, but with another two high tides expected in eastern England later Friday, the Thames Barrier in London was set to be closed for the second time in two days to protect the capital.

Two people were killed in Britain on Thursday when Atlantic storm Xaver hit with winds of up to 142 miles per hour (228 kilometers per hour), before heading out into the North Sea towards Germany and the Netherlands.

One of the victims, a lorry driver, died when his vehicle toppled onto a number of cars in Scotland, while a man riding a mobility scooter was struck by a falling tree in Nottinghamshire, central England.

Officials said at least 10,000 homes had been evacuated: 9,000 in the eastern county of Norfolk and 1,000 in the southeastern county of Essex.

Britain's Meteorological Office confirmed it was the worst tidal surge since catastrophic floods hit North Sea countries in 1953, killing more than 2,000 people.

But defenses along Britain's east coast have been strengthened since then and while some were breached by the latest surge, most of them held.

"The defenses seemed to have held up well and seemed to have performed well," Environment Agency spokesman Tim Connell told the BBC.

The pier in the Norfolk seaside town of Cromer was damaged by the high seas.

Police in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, meanwhile urged "sightseers" to stay away, saying they were placing themselves at "significant risk".

Police in the northeastern county of Northumbria said the floods appeared to be easing Friday, saying that "early indications are that the tidal surges in our area this morning are less than what we saw yesterday."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Storm surges, waves: Why Manila is at risk

MANILA - Remember the strong winds and heavy rains that created the tsunami-like waves in Roxas Boulevard in 2011?

They were actually storm waves. And this could happen again in Manila.

“The storm surge raised the water and the storm waves rode on that. That was what happened in Roxas Boulevard every eight seconds or so,” Filipino-American geologist and environmental scientist Kelvin Rodolfo explained in an interview with ANC.

This is why he is against the 300-hectare reclamation development of Manila Bay in Pasay City.

“It’s absolutely the worst thing to do. You put people in harm’s way by doing that,” said Rodolfo, who is also a professor emeritus of the University of Illinois.

He explained that the reclamation is like modifying the terrain in the area.

According to Rodolfo, a disaster is a combination of two: the people under threat and the threat itself. When there is an increase in population, there is also an increase in threat.

“When [typhoon Pedring] hit, it destroyed the breakwaters [of Roxas Boulevard]. The breakwater has been there for decades and then destroyed. What does it say? It means [the waves] were worse than anything that happened before,” he said.

Factor in climate change, and “it can get worst,” he warned.

Tsunami vs storm surge

By this time, the entire Philippines and probably the whole world already know what storm surge is. There are those who believe that the public should have been warned that a storm surge is like tsunami, which could have pushed them to move faster away from the disaster.

But Rodolfo, who earlier warned the government of the disaster coming from the lahar discharged by Mount Pinatubo, said it is also wrong to use “tsunami” to describe storm surges.

“While people know what tsunami is like, we could have generated unnecessary panic…and you would have also killed people in panic,” he pointed out.

Rodolfo believes that the weather authorities were not wanting in announcing the storm surges prior to Yolanda’s landfall. “There were warnings, some listened, some did not,” he said.

Translating ‘storm surge’ in Filipino

There are, of course, lessons learned after the havoc of the super typhoon.

He suggested coming up or developing a Filipino term for “storm surges,” noting that communication is key since Filipinos are fond of using names to incidents.

“The only way we can help people survive something is to teach family by family what to do,” he said.

Disaster response should also start in school, he advised, adding that “teachers should discuss with students what their families are doing, if they have emergency kits, food, etc. The strongest local unit is the family.”

He also highlighted the engineering concept called “factor of safety,” saying, “If you expect 10 feet high water, build something for 20 feet.”

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com