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MANILA, Philippines — Typhoon Ofel will make landfall over Cagayan or Isabel today as it reaches peak intensity even as another typhoon is set to enter the Philippine area of responsibility, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
Tropical cyclone wind signal No. 2 has been raised over Cagayan including Babuyan Islands, the northern and eastern portions of Isabela and the eastern portion of Apayao as Ofel (international name Usagi) edges closer to landmass.
Signal No. 1 was raised over Batanes, the rest of Isabela, Quirino, the northern portion of Nueva Vizcaya, Apayao, Kalinga, Abra, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Ilocos Norte and the northern portion of Aurora.
State weather forecasters said that wind signal No. 4 could be raised during Ofel’s passage.
Ofel was monitored 480 kilometers east of Baler, Aurora and will make landfall over the eastern coast of Northern Luzon this afternoon.
“Regardless of the position of the landfall point, it must be emphasized that hazards on land and coastal waters may still be experienced in areas outside the landfall point or forecast confidence cone,” PAGASA warned.
Ofel will emerge over the Luzon Strait by tomorrow and might make landfall over Babuyan islands before turning northeastward toward Taiwan.
Meanwhile, Pepito (international name Man-yi) was forecast to enter PAR as a typhoon today. It was monitored 1,965 km east of Eastern Visayas and was forecast to move westward. It may make landfall over the eastern coast of Luzon by Friday or Saturday.
There could still be shifts in the track forecast of Pepito, but PAGASA said that most areas in Luzon face considerable impacts due to heavy rainfall, severe wind and possible storm surge inundation.
Man-yi was packing maximum sustained winds of 65 km per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 80 kph.
Evacuees
Thousands of residents remain housed in various evacuation centers in provinces from at least five affected regions, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
The NDRRMC said both tropical cyclones affected a total of 52,551 families or 195,532 people. Of the number, 9,275 families or 28,104 people are still taking shelter in 562 evacuation centers across the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Bicol Region and Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).
There have been no reported deaths so far but the NDRRMC said it has received and is validating reports of two persons injured in Central Luzon.
Due to Nika and Ofel, some 325 houses were reported damaged in the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon and CAR.
In Cagayan Valley, almost 13,000 families have fled from their homes because of the onslaught of Nika, according to figures from the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
Of the number, some 7,781 families have taken refuge in evacuation centers while 5,074 families are staying with relatives or friends.
Meanwhile, rapid assessment placed affected homes in the region at 702 – 53 destroyed and 649 damaged.
Dams release water
Three dams in Luzon continued releasing water amid the threat of Ofel.
As of 8 a.m. yesterday, two gates of Ambuklao Dam in Benguet remained open at one meter and began releasing water at 165.83 cubic meter per second (cms) after it reached 751.58 meters or just 0.42 meters below its normal high water level of 752 meters.
Meanwhile, three gates of Binga Dam in Benguet were opened at 1.3 meters and releasing 178.93 cms after it reached 574.05 or 0.95 meters below its normal high water level of 575 meters.
On the other hand, two gates of Magat Dam in Isabela were opened at three meters and releasing 805.56 cms after it reached 188.56 meters or 4.44 meters below its normal high water level of 193 meters.
Dam officials decided to close the gates of San Roque Dam in Pangasinan as its water elevation reached 278.42 meters, while Angat Dam dropped by 0.10 meters after it reached 201.63 meters.
Ipo Dam in Bulacan reached 100.17 meters, La Mesa Dam in Quezon City reached 79.55 meters, Pantabangan Dam in Nueva Ecija reached 210.16 meters and Caliraya Dam in Laguna dropped to 287.13 meters.
Airports ready
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) expressed readiness as Nika left the PAR and Ofel further intensifies.
CAAP spokesman Eric Apolonio said Cagayan province falls under signal No. 1 as Ofel starts to hit the area. Prior to the storm’s landfall, area center managers were advised to monitor PAGASA’s weather bulletin.
Tuguegarao airport has reported cancellation of non-scheduled flights to coastal areas, though the airport is still operational – two flights 5J 504/505 Manila- Tuguegarao-Manila successfully landed.
For its part, the Department of Public Works and Highways said nine national roads remain impassable as of yesterday morning due to landslide, soil collapse and flooding. Ten road sections in CAR and three roads in Region 2 have been cleared and reopened to the motoring public.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Coast Guard has sent augmentation teams to assist their tired personnel conducting search and rescue and relief operations in typhoon-affected areas in their District Northeastern Luzon.
The District Northeastern Luzon – consisting of Cagayan, Batanes, Aurora, Calayaan and Isabela provinces – has been bearing the brunt of the recent weather disturbances, namely Severe Tropical Storm Kristine, Typhoons Marce, Nika and Ofel.
Leading telco Globe Telecom said it has prepositioned personnel, supplies and emergency equipment in areas on the path of Ofel.
Globe also said it continues to provide support for communities affected by earlier storms. Globe deployed Libreng Tawag, Libreng Charging, and Libreng WiFi stations in 11 locations in Northern Luzon to help affected residents stay in touch with their loved ones.
Globe, which provides free data access to the NDRRMC website, reminds the public to get weather information only from legitimate sources. – Michael Punongbayan, Bella Cariaso, Rudy Santos, Evelyn Macairan, Rainier Allan Ronda, Artemio Dumlao