Pagasa: Cyclone may develop on New Year’s Day

MANILA, Philippines — The cluster of clouds that the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) is monitoring is likely to develop into a low-pressure area.

If the low-pressure area enters the Philippine area of responsibility before New Year’s Day, it would be named Wilma, PAGASA said. If it enters the Philippine area of responsibility on Jan. 1, it will be named Agaton.

PAGASA projected Wilma to follow the path of Tropical Storm Vinta which entered Northern Mindanao and traveled towards the Zamboanga Peninsula.

The disaster risk reduction and management councils and local government units in Zamboanga Peninsula and Muslim Mindanao regions are bracing for Wilma while most of its areas are still reeling from the devastation of Vinta (international name: Tembin).

While closely monitoring the prevailing low-pressure area east of Mindanao, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) issued a gale warning advisory over seaboards of northern, eastern and central Luzon.

The gale warning that also covered eastern and southern seaboards of Southern Luzon and the eastern and western seaboards of the Visayas automatically makes sea travel of small water craft risky if not highly dangerous.

NDRRMC executive director and Office of Civil Defense (OCD) administrator Ricardo Jalad said with the gale force warning, the waters around Batanes, Babuyan, Cagayan, Ilocos Norte, Isabela and Aurora provinces will be rough to be very rough.

The same sea condition will also prevail over the seawaters in the Camarines provinces, Catanduanes, eastern coast of Albay, eastern coast of Sorsogon, eastern coast of Quezon including Polilio Island, Northern and Eastern Samar and Mindoro Oriental as well as in Antique.

“You are hereby directed to undertake precautionary measures and monitor the situation in your area of responsibility,” Jalad ordered all NDRRMC attached agencies.

He also ordered all DRRMCs to be proactive in their pre-disaster operations by informing or warning communities about the dangers of heading out to sea on small boats because of rough waves.

Aside from cloudy skies with scattered rains, wind force of 28 to 34 knots per hour is expected to generate 3.4 to 4.5 high waves in these affected provinces in Luzon  and the Visayas.

PAGASA added that the tail-end of a cold front is affecting the eastern section of Southern Luzon and the Visayas, while the northeast monsoon is affecting Northern and Central Luzon.

The Bicol region, Eastern and Central Visayas, CARAGA region will have cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms due to the tail-end of the cold front, PAGASA said.

Cagayan Valley, Cordillera Administrative Region, Aurora and Quezon will experience cloudy skies with scattered rains because of the northeast monsoon.

“Metro Manila, Ilocos Region, the rest of Central Luzon and CALABARZON  will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rains also due to the northeast monsoon,” the PAGASA bulletin said.

The rest of the country will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers because of localized thunderstorms.

 OCD region 9 director Manuel Luis Ochotorena ordered all DRRMCs to adopt mitigating measures and prepare for the possible impact of Wilma.

Ochotorena said the OCD and the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) conducted a pre-disaster risk assessment meeting last Friday to address the possible effects of the impending storm.

Ochotorena said the Zamboanga Peninsula has yet to account for more than 40 missing persons while it registered 69 deaths from Vinta.

Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Gov. Mujiv Hataman instructed the region’s emergency units to be on standby.

Hataman said the ARMM Humanitarian Emergency Action and Response Team has been in close coordination with provincial offices of ARMM line agencies while local government units have been urged to prepare for Wilma’s landfall. 

“The regional government continues its relief and rehabilitation efforts in areas that have been affected by Vinta as it prepares for the possibility of another storm following its path,” Hataman said.

He said worst hit Zamboanga del Norte was still reeling from the devastation.

Hataman said reports from the RDRRMC showed a total of 217 barangays and 61,331 families affected by Vinta, while 18 persons were reported missing, 33 injured and 36 lost their lives. – With  Jaime Laude, Rhodina Villanueva