‘Nando’ batters N. Luzon; thousands evacuated
Thousands of people were evacuated while schools and offices were closed on Monday in northern Luzon as one of the strongest typhoons this year threatened to cause flooding and landslides on its way to southeastern China.
Supertyphoon “Nando” (international name: Ragasa ) had sustained winds of 215 kilometers per hour (kph) and gusts of up to 265 kph and was centered east of the island town of Calayan off Cagayan province.
Nando on Monday afternoon was tracked to move westward toward the Babuyan Islands, according to state weather forecaster Pagasa (Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration). Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 5 had been hoisted over the Babuyan Islands, which faces “extreme threat to life and property” due to the supertyphoon, said Pagasa.
It also warned of “a high risk of life-threatening storm surge with peak heights exceeding 3 meters (nearly 10 feet) within the next 24 hours over the low-lying or exposed coastal localities” of the northern provinces of Cagayan, Batanes, Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur.
Nando is expected to exit the Philippine area of responsibility by Tuesday.
Suspended work, classes
Power was cut off on Calayan Island and in the province of Apayao, west of Cagayan, disaster response officials said. There were no immediate reports of casualties or further damage from Nando.
President Marcos suspended government work and classes in all levels on Monday in Metro Manila and 29 provinces in Luzon.
“Preemptive evacuations have been conducted and we are immediately responding to the needs of those in evacuation centers. We are closely monitoring the situation, and all government agencies are on alert to provide assistance wherever and whenever needed,” said the President.
The numbers of families affected by the combined effects of the southwest monsoon (habagat) and Tropical Cyclones “Mirasol” (Mitag) and Nando has reached 28,014 as of Monday.
The latest National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council report said these included 100,024 people living in 181 barangays in the Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Cordillera, Central Luzon, Bicol, Western Visayas and Zamboanga Peninsula regions.
The agency also said it was validating reports of two deaths and two injured, along with five missing persons—four in Central Luzon and one in Bicol—as a result of the inclement weather.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development on Monday said it distributed over P2 million in aid to affected families.
Surge warnings
Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines announced that 16 domestic flights were canceled on Monday due to Nando.
Fishing boats and inter-island ferries were also prohibited from leaving ports due to very rough seas.
Romeo Ganal, Pagasa North Luzon weather specialist, urged villagers to observe surge warnings, especially in coastal barangays in Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, and other northern provinces.
Three roads in north Luzon have been rendered impassable—the Pangasinan-Nueva Vizcaya (Villaverde) Road, Sigay Road in Ilocos Sur caused by the swelling of Buwaya River, and the Nagyubuyuban Bridge in San Fernando City.
A major landslide was also reported in a section of Marcos Highway in Tuba, Benguet. —REPORTS FROM LUISA CABATO, ZACARIAN SARAO, JOHN ERIC MENDOZA, VILLAMOR VISAYA JR., VINCENT CABREZA, YOLANDA SOTELO, CARLA GOMEZ AND AP
