29 areas under Signal No. 1 as Jenny nears

MANILA, Philippines — Twenty-nine areas in Luzon, including Metro Manila, were placed under tropical cyclone wind signals yesterday as fast-moving Tropical Storm Jenny (international name Podul) barreled toward the province of Aurora.

Jenny, the 10th tropical cyclone to enter the country this year and third this month, was forecast to make landfall over Aurora between 9 p.m. yesterday and 1 a.m. today. 

It will cross the landmass of Central and Northern Luzon and exit today, according to Loriedin dela Cruz, weather specialist at the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

“Strong winds will prevail in areas placed under signal No. 2 ­– Aurora, Ifugao, Isabela, Mountain Province, Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino – within 24 hours,” PAGASA said.

Signal No. 1 was hoisted over Metro Manila and in the provinces of Abra, Apayao, Bataan, Benguet, Bulacan, Cagayan, Camarines Norte, Catanduanes, Cavite, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Kalinga, Laguna, La Union, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Rizal, Tarlac and Zambales as well as in the northern portion of Quezon including Polillo Islands and Alabat Island, and northeastern portion of Camarines Sur.

Occasional gusty conditions may be experienced in areas under signal No. 1, as well as in the Visayas and other areas in Luzon due to the enhanced southwest monsoon.

Dela Cruz said the storm’s outer spiral started lashing Cagayan Valley, the Cordilleras and Central Luzon with heavy rains and gusty winds yesterday afternoon.

As of 4 p.m. yesterday, the center of Jenny was located at 290 kilometers east of Infanta, Quezon.

It packed winds of 65 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 80 kph.

Jenny was moving west northwest at 35 kph. It intensified from a tropical depression to a storm yesterday afternoon.

Intermittent to frequent moderate to heavy rains will continue to prevail over Aurora, Cagayan, the Cordilleras, Isabela, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino and northern portion of Quezon, including Polillo Island until this morning. 

Light to moderate with intermittent heavy rains are expected over Central Visayas, Metro Manila, Northern Mindanao, Western Visayas, Zamboanga peninsula and the rest of Luzon.

Light to moderate with intermittent to occasional heavy rains may persist over Bataan, Metro Manila, Mindoro provinces, northern portion of Palawan, including Calamian and Cuyo Islands, Western Visayas and Zambales and until tomorrow morning.

Residents in areas along the path of Jenny have been advised to brace for possible floods and rain-induced landslides.

The weather bureau also warned against rough sea conditions in areas under wind signals and in the seaboards of Batanes.

Jenny is forecast to exit the Philippine area of responsibility tomorrow.

Classes suspended

Classes in public and private schools were suspended yesterday in several areas in Luzon, including Metro Manila.

Among the local government units that ordered  class suspension were in Abra, Bulacan, Cagayan, Isabela, Ilocos Norte, Pangasinan and Quirino.

There were areas that suspended classes in all levels, while others from pre-school to high school level only.

Officials said the class suspension was meant to ensure the safety of students.

Liquor ban

The provincial government of Isabela and some areas of Cagayan and Quirino implemented a liquor ban as part of the preparations for Jenny’s landfall.

The ban aims to prevent death by drowning as Jenny is expected to trigger landslideas and flash floods as well as swell rivers.

The Agno River Basin Flood Forecasting and Warning Center based in Pangasinan said intermittent moderate to at times heavy rains would prevail over the basin area until tonight.

Local disaster officials have been advised to take appropriate action to mitigate the impact of floods in low-lying areas.

National Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) executive director and Office of Civil Defense (OCD) administrator Ricardo Jalad said the soil in wide areas of the country is already saturated due to days of continuous rains and floods spawned by Ineng.

Being a tropical depression, Jenny will not be packing strong winds but could dump moderate to heavy rains nationwide, particularly in Northern Luzon, which covers Cagayan Valley, the Cordilleras, Central Luzon and Ilocos region.

These regions have become the usual path of storms in recent years.

The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) was placed on standby with Jenny expected to make landfall today.

NCRPO director Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar ordered his five police district directors to be ready to deploy their rescue units, including pumpboats and trucks.

“We will conduct Libreng Sakay operations to ferry stranded commuters to their destinations at the height of typhoon Jenny,” Eleazar said. – With Jaime Laude, Non Alquitran, Eva Visperas, Cesar Ramirez, Ramon Efren Lazaro, Victor Martin, Raymund Catindig