‘ROSITA’ WINDS WEAKEN AS STORM NEARS NORTH LUZON
Typhoon “Rosita” (international name: Yutu) may become a severe tropical storm upon landfall between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. on Tuesday in the southern Isabela and northern Aurora area, according to the weather bureau.
As of Monday, Rosita had weakened, packing maximum sustained winds of up to 150 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 185 kph—less intense than four days ago, when its wind speed of over 270 kph barreled through the Marianas, tearing off roofs, overturning vehicles and cutting off power and water.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Rosita’s winds weakened due to
the dry, cold air brought by the northeast monsoon.
The eye of Rosita as of of 5 p.m. on Mondaywas spotted 310 km northeast of Casiguran, Aurora province. The storm was moving southwest at 15 kph.
Storm warnings were raised in more than 30 areas in Luzon on Monday. Some coastal communities in the path of the typhoon were evacuated.
Signal No. 3
Signal No. 3 was hoisted in Isabela, Quirino, northern Aurora, Nueva Vizcaya and Ifugao provinces;
Signal No. 2 was raised in Cagayan, Ilocos Norte, Apayao, Abra, Kalinga, Ilocos Sur, Mountain Province, La Union, Benguet, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, northern Quezon including Polillo Island, southern Aurora, Zambales, Pampanga and Bulacan; and
Signal No. 1 was hoisted in southern Quezon, Batanes and Babuyan group of islands, Rizal, Metro Manila, Laguna, Batangas, Bataan, Cavite and Camarines Norte.
Mayors to stay put
Eduardo Año, officer in charge of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, reminded mayors in the Ilocos, Cagayan, Central Luzon, Cordillera, Calabarzon and Bicol regions, and in Metro Mani- la to stay put in their respective areas of jurisdiction before, during and after the calamity.
Local officials who leave their posts when Rosita hits Luzon would be answerable for neglecting their duties, according to presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo.
Classes suspended
Authorities in Isabela and Cagayan provinces started moving residents in coastal towns to evacuation centers, while the mountainous Cordillera region was put on red alert for landslides.
School classes were suspended in at least five provinces, and fishermen in Luzon and the eastern seaboard were advised not to go to sea, with warnings of storm surges of up to 3 meters in six provinces.
All boat services in the port city of Batangas, about 83 km south of Manila, were suspended on Monday.
In Isabela and Ilocos Sur provinces, government work and classes were suspended on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Isabela Gov. Faustino Dy III ordered the suspension to allow residents to secure their homes and to enable the local government to begin evacuating families from vulnerable areas.
Other provinces in Cagayan Valley, which suffered from the onslaught of Typhoon “Ompong” (international name: Mangkhut) on Sept. 15, have ac- tivated protocols for evacuation, rescue and communication, according to Dante Balao, regional director of the Office of the Civil Defense.
Residents of low-lying villages have started to arrive at evacuation sites and 30,000 food packs, medicine and water have been prepared, Balao said.
In Ilocos Sur, government offices operated only for half a day on Monday. Work there on Tuesday and Wednesday was also suspended.
Evacuation in Itogon
At the mining town of Itogon in Benguet province where close to 100 people died from landslides last month, Mayor Victorio Palangdan said 400 residents of Barangay Loacan had voluntarily evacuated to Pacalso National High School at Barangay Tuding.
The municipal government said more than 1,000 people were still staying in areas considered danger zones after the landslides triggered by Ompong.
“We are checking if all the families in critical areas have left. If not we will have to force them out,” Palangdan said.
Classes in all school levels in Benguet were also canceled.
Rice farmers in La Union have been advised to harvest their crop in anticipation of the typhoon.