2 low-pressure areas to bring more rains

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) yesterday said two low pressure areas (LPA) would bring more rains into the country in the next few days.

In its 5 p.m. forecast, PAGASA said the first LPA that is expected to enter from the West Philippine Sea, was located at 150 kilometers north of Puerto Princesa City and is moving in a northeast direction.

The second LPA, which might enter from the Pacific Ocean, was located 810 kilometers east of Mindanao.

Weather forecaster Glaiza Escullar said the LPA in Palawan would affect Metro Manila and Southern Tagalog especially the provinces of Cavite and Batangas.

“If it would maintain its strength... it would directly hit Metro Manila as a low pressure area. But within 24 hours we do not see it becoming a tropical depression.”

If it intensifies into a tropical cyclone, however, it would be called “Goring.”

Escullar said LPA is expected to be felt either today or tomorrow.

The LPA close to Mindanao as of yesterday afternoon is not yet expected to affect any part of the country.

PAGASA said Palawan and Mindanao would experience cloudy skies with scattered to widespread rains and thunderstorms that might trigger flashfloods and landslides.

Visayas and the rest of Southern Luzon would have mostly cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms.

The rest of Luzon would be partly cloudy to at times cloudy with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms mostly in the afternoon or evening.

Light to moderate winds blowing from the east to the southeast would prevail over Luzon and coming from the southwest to west over the rest of the country.

The coastal waters throughout the archipelago would be slight to moderate.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) advised residents living in flood and landslide-prone areas to immediately move to safer locations once heavy rains start pouring in their respective localities.

At least 30 people, mostly children and the elderly, perished in the flashflood in Davao City on Wednesday.                                         

At least 17 of the victims were children and infants.                        

The victims were swept away after the Pangi river in the southern city of Davao burst its banks on the night of June 28, said the NDRRMC.

At one point during the night, some parts of the city were submerged in 10 feet of floodwater.

Climatologists said nearby areas of the southern island Mindanao saw heavier-than-usual rains last month.

The NDRRMC said widespread flooding lasting several weeks also killed 12 people in Cotabato earlier in June, while a series of storms in the north killed 48 other people in May and June.

Health Secretary Enrique Ona said the country has been “experiencing increasing incidents of emergencies and disasters in greater extent and magnitude.”

The month of July is observed by the DOH as National Disaster Consciousness Month. On Monday, the health department will hold disaster preparedness activities in its central and regional offices. –With Jaime Laude, Sheila Crisostomo