'Chedeng' veers, spares Phl

MANILA, Philippines - Typhoon “Chedeng” (international name Songda) intensified yesterday but changed direction, hugging the eastern seaboard as it moved away from the country, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.

PAGASA supervising undersecretary Graciano Yumul said Chedeng would still bring heavy rains and gusty winds over the provinces of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Benguet,

Ifugao, Kalinga, Apayao, Isabela, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Cagayan Valley, Quirino and Aurora until the weekend.

“It has a big radius, so it can affect many areas even if it does not make landfall,” said forecaster Mario Palafox.

As of 5 p.m. yesterday, storm warning signal number 1 was still hoisted over Catanduanes, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Albay, Quirino, Aurora, Quezon province, including Polillo Islands, Isabela and Cagayan.

As of 4 p.m., the eye of Chedeng was spotted 260 kilometers north northeast of Virac, Catanduanes, or 300 kms southeast of Casiguran, Aurora packing winds of 175 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 210 kph.

Chedeng was forecast to move northwest at 19 kph.

It is predicted to be 320 kms northeast of Casiguran, Aurora or 200 kms east northeast of Aparri, Cagayan this afternoon and about 590 kms northeast of Basco, Batanes or 190 kms southwest of Okinawa, Japan tomorrow afternoon.

PAGASA weather division chief Robert Sawi said the high-pressure area blocking Chedeng’s path had weakened, causing the typhoon to change direction and move from north-northwest to northwest.

PAGASA’s forecasts last Monday and Tuesday showed that Chedeng would make landfall over Isabela-Cagayan area on Friday.

Its Wednesday forecast showed Chedeng would hit the area of Aurora-Isabela on Friday.

Photo shows evacuated familes at the Mayon Elementary School in Tabaco, Albay. EDD GUMBAN

“The good news is the typhoon is moving away from the country,” Yumul told a press briefing.

Sawi added Chedeng was expected to dump heavy rains of more than 100 millimeters over the eastern coast of Central Luzon.

Chedeng would also continue to bring rains over the western side of the Visayas and Southern Luzon yesterday, he added.

By Friday morning, heavy rains are forecast over extreme northern Luzon, he said.

Sawi said the southwest monsoon would be the dominant system beginning Saturday and will bring rains over the western section of Visayas and Southern Luzon, including Metro Manila, on Saturday and Sunday.

Sawi said the prevalence of the southwest monsoon this weekend signals the onset of the rainy season in the country.

On the other hand, Yumul told dzMM radio that the rains being experienced in the western seaboard of Luzon and Visayas, including Metro Manila, are not due to Chedeng but are due to an active inter-tropical convergence zone.

Yumul said that starting late Friday through the weekend, the area would experience rains due to the southwest monsoon, which will be drawn to the area by Chedeng as it moves towards southern Japan.

Casualty

The rains apparently induced by the southwest monsoon reportedly left a 79-year old man dead, with two more missing in the Bicol region.

Office of Civil Defense (OCD) regional director Raffy Alejandro identified the lone casualty as Jaime Torrellos, who was swept away while crossing a river in Gigmoto town on Wednesday while storm signal no. 2 was hoisted over the region.

Alejandro said they are verifying reports of two fishermen who went missing in Vinzons, Camarines Norte and in Gigmoto town.

As the typhoon moved away, Albay Gov. Joey Salceda yesterday allowed the thousands of evacuees to go home.

Salceda though ordered 21,000 families from the towns of Oas and Libon to stay put in the evacuation centers, citing the danger posed by landslides in their areas because of the heavy rains.

Salceda earlier sent military trucks to begin moving 250,000 residents from coastal and landslide-prone villages and areas in the path of debris from Mayon volcano. He also offered five kilograms of rice as an incentive for each family that evacuates.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said 13,322 families or 63,964 persons from 152 barangays in Albay province were evacuated.

NDRRMC and Office of Civil Defense (OCD) chief Benito Ramos said an estimated 49,893 families or 250,425 residents from 497 villages in the province are also being targeted for possible evacuation in the event the typhoon would shift course and hit the region.

Ramos said they would not order a pull out of disaster response teams even if Chedeng would no longer make landfall.

Ramos said the teams would remain in the Bicol region for 12 hours after Chedeng leaves the Philippine area of responsibility.

Government offices in the region were closed and flights were canceled. More than 7,000 people were stranded in ports after the Coast Guard barred sea travel in areas with typhoon warnings.

In other provinces leading up to northern Luzon and Metro Manila, officials have collected rubber boats and food supplies and put rescuers on standby. The Coast Guard also deployed its rescue teams in northern Luzon.

Pangasinan Gov. Amado Espino ordered local officials to make preparations and pre-emptive measures against flooding.

The Mines and Geo-Sciences Bureau (MGB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) has raised warnings against possible landslides in the region with the onset of heavy rains brought by Chedeng.

The MGB stressed Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga and Mountain Province are among the top 10 provinces in the country that are prone to landslides and floods.

The province of Benguet is the most affected province in the region, with over 90 percent of its total land area prone to landslides, the MGB said.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) also went on “blue alert” in deploying rescue units and equipment as part of the disaster preparations in Metro Manila.

MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino said they are expecting Chedeng to dump heavy rains in Metro Manila like that of tropical storm “Ondoy” in 2009.

PAGASA said Chedeng could trigger heavy rains in the next few days even as the typhoon had spared the country.

Sawi said Chedeng is expected to move out of the Philippine area of responsibility on Sunday but the typhoon would enhance the southwest monsoon and bring heavy rains over the western section of Visayas and Southern Luzon, including Metro Manila until Thursday. – With Evelyn Macairan, Celso Amo, Cet Dematera, Jaime Laude, Alexis Romero, Mike Frialde, Rudy Santos, Eva Visperas, Artemio Dumlao, Cecille Suerte Felipe, AP