SEVEN areas in Luzon and the Visayas were placed under Signal No. 1 yesterday as “Egay” intensified into a severe tropical storm from a tropical storm.
Egay was forecast to further intensify into a typhoon and a super typhoon on Tuesday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said in a bulletin issued at 5 p.m. yesterday.
PAGASA said Egay will be closest to extreme northern Luzon on Wednesday.
Placed under Signal No. 1 were Catanduanes, the northern portion of Eastern Samar, and the eastern portions of Aurora, Camarines Sur, Isabela, Cagayan, and Northern Samar.
PAGASA said the impact of Egay’s winds’ on life and property is “minimal to minor.”
As of 4 p.m. yesterday, the center of Egay was some 560 km east of Daet, Camarines Norte. It was moving west northwestward at kph., packing maximum sustained winds of 110 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 135 kph.
Egay is forecast to move west northwest or westward in the next 12 hours, after which it will generally northwestward.
“Although the latest track forecast shows that Egay will remain offshore for most of the forecast period, a close approach or landfall in the vicinity of extreme northern Luzon is still not ruled out based on the forecast confidence cone,” PAGASA said.
Egay intensified into a tropical depression, from a low pressure area, last Friday, into a tropical storm last Saturday, and a severe tropical storm yesterday morning.
PAGASA said Egay may make landfall in the east coast of Taiwan on Thursday morning.
“Based on current and forecast behavior of the ridge of high pressure to the north of Egay, a westward shift in the track forecast remains a possibility,” PAGASA said.
“Egay is forecast to reach typhoon category within 24 hours and may become a super typhoon on Tuesday. Rapid intensification is likely within the next 72 hours due to favorable atmospheric and oceanic conditions,” added PAGASA.
PAGASA said Egay may start weakening on Wednesday before making landfall in Taiwan.
Egay is expected to bring rains in Polillo Islands in Quezon, Cordillera Administrative Region, and the Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, and Bicol regions.
Meanwhile, a cargo ship, LCT Pacifica 2, ran aground off Barangay Cabinet in Cabadbaran City in Agusan del Norte yesterday, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said.
“The captain declared ‘abandoned vessel’ due to strong winds and big waves caused by (severe) tropical storm Egay,” the PCG said.
It said the vessel’s 24 crew members, including the captain, “are safe and in good condition.”
It said the PCG’s Marine Environmental Protection Group is monitoring the situation “for possible traces of oil spill.”
AID
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) continued to preposition family food packs and non-food relief items in areas in Egay’s path, including 300 food boxes that were airlifted to Batanes by the Philippine Air Force.
The DSWD said it has prepositioned over 1.14 million family food packs and over P1.12 billion worth of non-food and other food items nationwide in anticipation of any disaster, calamity or emergency. It has also at least P173.99 million worth of funds and P1.879 billion of stockpiles in standby.
On Saturday, Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian directed all concerned regional directors and their personnel to be on high alert for the effects of Egay.
As for storm “Dodong” the which has left the country, the DSWD said at least P11.5 million worth of food and non-food items have been given to the affected 100,628 families (381,522 individuals) from 415 barangays in eight regions — Ilocos, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Bicol, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao, and the National Capital Region or Metro Manila. — With Jocelyn Montemayor
