“AMBO” made landfall in Eastern Samar on Thursday hours after it intensified into a typhoon, and threatened to pummel parts of Luzon in the next days.
Initial reports from field units of the Office of Civil Defense, particularly in the Eastern Visayas and Bicol regions, showed no major effects except for thousands of people who were forced to evacuate.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Ambo made landfall at around 12:15 a.m. in San Policarpio town, Eastern Samar. It was initially forecast to make landfall in the Bicol region but changed direction.
As of 7 p.m, the eye of the typhoon was in the area of Catarman, Northern Samar. Ambo was moving west at 15 kph, packing maximum sustained winds of 155 kph and gustiness of up to 255 kph.
It is forecast to be in the Quezon area on Friday afternoon; Carasi, Ilocos Norte on Saturday afternoon; 50 km north northeast of Basco, Batanes on Sunday afternoon; and 815 km northeast of Basco on Monday afternoon.
It is projected to be out of the Philippine area of responsibility by Tuesday afternoon.
In a bulletin issued at 8 p.m. Thursday, PAGASA said the areas under signal No. 3 were Sorsogon, Albay, Masbate (including Ticao and Burias islands), Catanduanes, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Marinduque, southern portion of Quezon, Northern Samar, northern portion of Eastern Samar, northern portion of Samar, and Biliran.
Under signal No. 2 were the rest of Quezon, Romblon, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, northernmost portion of Leyte, rest of Samar and rest of Eastern Samar, while those under signal No. 1 were Aurora, Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Metro Manila, Cavite, Bataan, Pampanga, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Tarlac, Zambales, Oriental Mindoro, Pangasinan, Ifugao, Benguet, La Union, rest of northern portion of Leyte, northeastern portion of Capiz, northeastern portion of Iloilo, and northern portion of Cebu.
Ambo was projected to bring heavy to intense rains in Samar provinces, Masbate and Sorsogon on Thursday night, PAGASA said. On Friday, it will bring “moderate to heavy with at times intense rains” in Bicol region, Northern Samar, Quezon, Aurora, Marinduque and Romblon.
The OCD-Eastern Visayas has yet to report any significant negative effects from Ambo but said there was no electricity in Northern Samar, Eastern Samar and parts of Samar.
The OCD-Bicol Region said some 2,500 people have been preemptively evacuated from Albay, Masbate, Sorsogon, and Naga City.
It said 105 passengers have been stranded in the ports in Albay and Sorsogon.
