TYPHOON 'RAMON' MAY HIT LUZON AGAIN / 'QUIEL' LEAVES TRAIL OF MISERY
MANILA, OCTOBER 4, 2011 (TIMES) Written by : JING VILLAMENTE AND FRANCIS EARL CUETO CORRESPONDENTS (Photo - Hungry, thirsty and wet, residents of Hagonoy, Bulacan grab relief goods distributed by local officials on Sunday. Thousands of Bulacan residents waited for help, some on their roof, when floodwaters rose Friday.)
MASSIVE floods in vast areas in Central Luzon (Region 3) have yet to subside but another tropical storm is again threatening the country and may pound areas lashed by typhoons Pedring and Quiel.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) on Sunday said that typhoon Quiel (international name: Nalgae) weakened as it moved west towards Vietnam.
Public Storm Signal No. 1 remained hoisted over Ilocos Sur, La Union, Zambales and Pangasinan.
[PHOTO - PRICE MARK-UP A customer ponders her choice of vegetables at the Paco Market in Manila Monday. Retail prices of vegetables in Metro Manila have risen considerably following successive typhoons. Prices of cabbage, celery, and other vegetables grown in Baguio City and Pangasinan rose by as much as P10 per kilo. (Photo by LINUS G. ESCANDOR II)]
Last night, Quiel was 500 kilometers west of Baguio City, with maximum winds of 130 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 160 kilometers per hour. The weather bureau said that rains experienced on Sunday and today were due to the southwest monsoon which is expected to cause scattered to widespread rains over the western section of Southern Luzon.
But even as Quiel was on its way out, weather forecasters are monitoring another low pressure area (LPA) over the Pacific ocean, 660 kilometers east of Visayas.
The LPA, spotted east of Mindanao over the Pacific Ocean, was estimated to move west or northwest, possibly hitting the eastern part of Visayas or typhoon-weary Luzon. Once it enters Philippine Area of Responsibility, the tropical depression will be named Ramon.
Pagasa, however, said that the sLPA is still too far to have any effect on the country. Forecasters said the LPA could develop into a tropical depression by Wednesday.
Many areas in Luzon are still reeling from the effects of typhoons Pedring (Nesat) and Quiel (Nalgae). More than 50 people had been killed while several areas in Nueva Ecija, Bulacan and Pampanga were inundated by floods in the wake of the two cyclones.
On Saturday, Department of Science and Technology Undersecretary Graciano Yumul Jr. said that the incoming storm may target Northern Luzon, which was battered by Quiel.
Officials in Pangasinan opened two gates of the San Roque Dam as part of their preparations for the coming storm.
Calamity summit Sen. Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel 3rd sought the holding of a national summit on calamity to come up with better ways to respond to disasters and reduced the number of casualties.
Pimentel said that government agencies and non-government groups and organizations should take part in the summit.
"We continually experience typhoons year in and year out, yet many of our fellow citizens unnecessarily die or are injured when these calamities occur," the senator said.
He added that an assembly on calamities could help the country reduce fatalities, reduce damage to crops and infrastructure and adopt more effective relief strategies. With a report from Jefferson Antiporda
'Quiel' leaves trail of misery Written by : Francis Earl A. Cueto, Raffy Ayeng, Correspondents
(A family is marooned at the roof of their home after floods swamped their village during the passage of Typhoon Nesat in Pulilan, north of Manila October 1, 2011. AFP Photo)
Typhoon Quiel tore through Northern Luzon on Saturday, tearing roofs from houses, toppling electric posts and disabling communication lines. It made landfall over Isabela province at 9 a.m., crossing five provinces before exiting northern Luzon in the afternoon.
Packing sustained winds of 160 kilometers per hour and gustiness of up to 195 kph, Quiel lashed several provinces as it tracked the path taken by typhoon Pedring. It moved west at 26 kph and crossed Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Ifugao, Benguet before exiting La Union Saturday afternoon.
Weather officials said Quiel was more powerful than Pedring, which slammed Luzon with a strength of 140 kph. Its wide cloud band also dumped more rain in areas ravaged by Pedring, causing floodwaters to rise further.
"At this point in time, all the flooded areas should be emptied of people. Local officials should implement forced evacuation," Science Undersecretary Graciano Yumul told a news conference.
It said some 180,000 people were sheltering in evacuation centers, mostly those displaced by Pedring.
Officials say more than a million of Luzon's 48 million people remain trapped in floods unleashed by Pedring, many from farming towns across central Luzon,
This morning, Quiel is expected to leave the country but several areas will continue to have stormy weather, according to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).
The National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) initially reported one fatality due to the typhoon.
In flood-hit Calumpit town in Bulacan province, three persons were reported to have died – a 5-year-old child who drowned, a teenager who had hypothermia and one who was bitten by a snake.
NDRRMC head Benito Ramos said they continue to monitor Calumpit, as well as Hagonoy and Marilao towns, also in Bulacan, where huge areas were swamped by floods.
Benito said floodwaters continue to rise in the towns of Hagonoy and Calumpit due to water coming from Nueva Ecija, Pampanga and from the dams surrounding the area.
"Sa ngayon tuloy-tuloy ang isinasagawa pang rescue operations sa napakarami pang residente.
Dumating na din dito ang napakarami pang rescue groups mula sa Olangapo at narito din ang grupo ni Sen. (Lito) Lapid na nagpahiram ng four rubber boats," Reyes told a radio interview.
Residents won't leave Ida de la Cruz was sitting out the disaster on her rooftop after floods engulfed her home and the rest of Pulilan in Bulacan province, a town of 70,000 people.
"We can't leave our 15 ducks as most of our income come from the eggs that they lay," she said while she washed clothes using the murky brown floodwaters that had swamped her farmhouse. Chickens and dogs shared her perch.
She said no help had arrived since the floods descended on Wednesday, when their three children were dispatched to her mother's home. She and her husband were down to five kilograms of rice.
Raul Agustin, a provincial disaster official in the area, told ABS-CBN television in an interview flood victims were generally reluctant to leave for fear their homes would be looted.
"When we send out rescue teams to help them, they ask for food instead. Today we gave instructions to convince all those marooned on rooftops to move to evacuation centers."
Meanwhile, the death toll from typhoon Pedring (international code name Nesat) climbed to 50 while 30 people remain missing.
PAGASA said Quiel is expected to be 700 km west of Baguio City this afternoon.
Storm signal No. 3 was hoisted over Isabela, Northern Aurora, Mt. Province, Ifugao, Nueva, Vizcaya, Quirino, Benguet, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan.
Cagayan, Apayao, Ilocos Norte, Abra, Kalinga, rest of Aurora, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Pampanga, Zambales, Bulacan, Northern Quezon and Polillo Island are under Sign No. 2 while the rest of Quezon, Camarines Norte, Rizal, Bataan, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Lubang Island, Babuyan Island, Calayan Group of Islands and Metro Manila are under signal No. 1. With a report from AFP
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Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2011 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved
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PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE
MANILA, OCTOBER 4, 2011 (TIMES) Written by : JING VILLAMENTE AND FRANCIS EARL CUETO CORRESPONDENTS (Photo - Hungry, thirsty and wet, residents of Hagonoy, Bulacan grab relief goods distributed by local officials on Sunday. Thousands of Bulacan residents waited for help, some on their roof, when floodwaters rose Friday.)
MASSIVE floods in vast areas in Central Luzon (Region 3) have yet to subside but another tropical storm is again threatening the country and may pound areas lashed by typhoons Pedring and Quiel.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) on Sunday said that typhoon Quiel (international name: Nalgae) weakened as it moved west towards Vietnam.
Public Storm Signal No. 1 remained hoisted over Ilocos Sur, La Union, Zambales and Pangasinan.
[PHOTO - PRICE MARK-UP A customer ponders her choice of vegetables at the Paco Market in Manila Monday. Retail prices of vegetables in Metro Manila have risen considerably following successive typhoons. Prices of cabbage, celery, and other vegetables grown in Baguio City and Pangasinan rose by as much as P10 per kilo. (Photo by LINUS G. ESCANDOR II)]
Last night, Quiel was 500 kilometers west of Baguio City, with maximum winds of 130 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 160 kilometers per hour. The weather bureau said that rains experienced on Sunday and today were due to the southwest monsoon which is expected to cause scattered to widespread rains over the western section of Southern Luzon.
But even as Quiel was on its way out, weather forecasters are monitoring another low pressure area (LPA) over the Pacific ocean, 660 kilometers east of Visayas.
The LPA, spotted east of Mindanao over the Pacific Ocean, was estimated to move west or northwest, possibly hitting the eastern part of Visayas or typhoon-weary Luzon. Once it enters Philippine Area of Responsibility, the tropical depression will be named Ramon.
Pagasa, however, said that the sLPA is still too far to have any effect on the country. Forecasters said the LPA could develop into a tropical depression by Wednesday.
Many areas in Luzon are still reeling from the effects of typhoons Pedring (Nesat) and Quiel (Nalgae). More than 50 people had been killed while several areas in Nueva Ecija, Bulacan and Pampanga were inundated by floods in the wake of the two cyclones.
On Saturday, Department of Science and Technology Undersecretary Graciano Yumul Jr. said that the incoming storm may target Northern Luzon, which was battered by Quiel.
Officials in Pangasinan opened two gates of the San Roque Dam as part of their preparations for the coming storm.
Calamity summit Sen. Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel 3rd sought the holding of a national summit on calamity to come up with better ways to respond to disasters and reduced the number of casualties.
Pimentel said that government agencies and non-government groups and organizations should take part in the summit.
"We continually experience typhoons year in and year out, yet many of our fellow citizens unnecessarily die or are injured when these calamities occur," the senator said.
He added that an assembly on calamities could help the country reduce fatalities, reduce damage to crops and infrastructure and adopt more effective relief strategies. With a report from Jefferson Antiporda
'Quiel' leaves trail of misery Written by : Francis Earl A. Cueto, Raffy Ayeng, Correspondents
(A family is marooned at the roof of their home after floods swamped their village during the passage of Typhoon Nesat in Pulilan, north of Manila October 1, 2011. AFP Photo)
Typhoon Quiel tore through Northern Luzon on Saturday, tearing roofs from houses, toppling electric posts and disabling communication lines. It made landfall over Isabela province at 9 a.m., crossing five provinces before exiting northern Luzon in the afternoon.
Packing sustained winds of 160 kilometers per hour and gustiness of up to 195 kph, Quiel lashed several provinces as it tracked the path taken by typhoon Pedring. It moved west at 26 kph and crossed Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Ifugao, Benguet before exiting La Union Saturday afternoon.
Weather officials said Quiel was more powerful than Pedring, which slammed Luzon with a strength of 140 kph. Its wide cloud band also dumped more rain in areas ravaged by Pedring, causing floodwaters to rise further.
"At this point in time, all the flooded areas should be emptied of people. Local officials should implement forced evacuation," Science Undersecretary Graciano Yumul told a news conference.
It said some 180,000 people were sheltering in evacuation centers, mostly those displaced by Pedring.
Officials say more than a million of Luzon's 48 million people remain trapped in floods unleashed by Pedring, many from farming towns across central Luzon,
This morning, Quiel is expected to leave the country but several areas will continue to have stormy weather, according to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).
The National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) initially reported one fatality due to the typhoon.
In flood-hit Calumpit town in Bulacan province, three persons were reported to have died – a 5-year-old child who drowned, a teenager who had hypothermia and one who was bitten by a snake.
NDRRMC head Benito Ramos said they continue to monitor Calumpit, as well as Hagonoy and Marilao towns, also in Bulacan, where huge areas were swamped by floods.
Benito said floodwaters continue to rise in the towns of Hagonoy and Calumpit due to water coming from Nueva Ecija, Pampanga and from the dams surrounding the area.
"Sa ngayon tuloy-tuloy ang isinasagawa pang rescue operations sa napakarami pang residente.
Dumating na din dito ang napakarami pang rescue groups mula sa Olangapo at narito din ang grupo ni Sen. (Lito) Lapid na nagpahiram ng four rubber boats," Reyes told a radio interview.
Residents won't leave Ida de la Cruz was sitting out the disaster on her rooftop after floods engulfed her home and the rest of Pulilan in Bulacan province, a town of 70,000 people.
"We can't leave our 15 ducks as most of our income come from the eggs that they lay," she said while she washed clothes using the murky brown floodwaters that had swamped her farmhouse. Chickens and dogs shared her perch.
She said no help had arrived since the floods descended on Wednesday, when their three children were dispatched to her mother's home. She and her husband were down to five kilograms of rice.
Raul Agustin, a provincial disaster official in the area, told ABS-CBN television in an interview flood victims were generally reluctant to leave for fear their homes would be looted.
"When we send out rescue teams to help them, they ask for food instead. Today we gave instructions to convince all those marooned on rooftops to move to evacuation centers."
Meanwhile, the death toll from typhoon Pedring (international code name Nesat) climbed to 50 while 30 people remain missing.
PAGASA said Quiel is expected to be 700 km west of Baguio City this afternoon.
Storm signal No. 3 was hoisted over Isabela, Northern Aurora, Mt. Province, Ifugao, Nueva, Vizcaya, Quirino, Benguet, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan.
Cagayan, Apayao, Ilocos Norte, Abra, Kalinga, rest of Aurora, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Pampanga, Zambales, Bulacan, Northern Quezon and Polillo Island are under Sign No. 2 while the rest of Quezon, Camarines Norte, Rizal, Bataan, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Lubang Island, Babuyan Island, Calayan Group of Islands and Metro Manila are under signal No. 1. With a report from AFP
----------------------------------------------------------
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2011 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved
----------------------------------------------------------
PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE
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