“GORING” intensified into a super typhoon yesterday and was forecast to maintain strength in the next few days, while a tropical depression outside the Philippine area of responsibility is under watch, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.
PAGASA said two areas were placed under Signal No. 3 — the eastern portion of Isabela province and extreme northern portion of Aurora province.
Under Signal No. 2 were the eastern portion of mainland Cagayan, central portion of Isabela, northern portion of Aurora, and eastern portion of Quirino.
Sixteen areas were under Signal 1. These were Batanes, rest of Cagayan (including Babuyan Islands), rest of Aurora, rest of Quirino, rest of Isabela, Apayao, Nueva Vizcaya, Ifugao, Mountain Province, Kalinga, Abra, eastern portion of Ilocos Norte, Polillo Islands, eastern portion of Benguet, eastern portion of Nueva Ecija, and Calaguas Islands.
Goring strengthened into a severe tropical storm on Friday afternoon and to a typhoon on Friday night. It further intensified into a super typhoon early morning yesterday.
In a bulletin issued at 5 p.m. yesterday, PAGASA said Goring was some 95 km east of Casiguran, Aurora as of 4 p.m. yesterday. It had maximum sustained winds of 185 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 230 kph. It was moving south southeastward slowly.
On the weather disturbance outside the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR), PAGASA said it was some 2,315 km east of Central Luzon as of 3 p.m. yesterday and was moving south southeast slowly. It had maximum sustained winds of 45 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 55 kph.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said Goring has so far affected 551 families or 1,968 individuals in the Ilocos region and the Cagayan Valley.
Of the number, 213 families or 832 individuals were displaced and are currently housed in 24 evacuation centers.
Ruelie Rapsing, head of the Cagayan provincial disaster risk reduction and management office, said the province has been experiencing strong winds and rains since Sunday night.
Rapsing said power was down in some areas due to fallen electric posts. He said there were also reports of fallen trees.
FLOODS
Rapsing said floods were also reported in the towns of Lal-lo, Sta Ana and Gonzaga.
“There was no casualty reported but there are reports of evacuation of our constituents,” said Rapsing, without giving figures.
Some of the residents were evacuated due to the risk of landslides.
Constante Foronda, head of the Isabela provincial risk reduction office, said Goring’s winds have not reached the province because it is being “shielded” by the Sierra Madre
mountain range.
Foronda also the office has not received information about flooded areas, noting the province has experienced only light rains.
He said five families from coastal areas were evacuated because their houses were made of light materials.
The two provinces have prepositioned relief goods for residents affected by Goring.
Armed Forces chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr said troops have been deployed to areas expected to be affected by Goring, and soldiers have extended assistance in the preemptive evacuation of residents living in flood-prone areas.
“We are always ready (to respond). We want to tell our countrymen they should not worry because we are ready,” said Brawner, adding reservists are going to assist soldiers in helping those affected.
He also said landslides have been reported in La Union and the Cordillera Administrative Region but did not provide details.
RELIEF GOODS
President Marcos Jr., on Saturday night assured the public that the government is closely monitoring the situation in Northern Luzon while the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) placed on standby some P1.88 million in funds, food packs, and non-food relief items.
The President, in his official account at X (formerly Twitter), said the DSWD has prepositioned over 10,000 food packs in the areas within Goring’s path while emergency response teams are on standby in case of a need for evacuation and rescue operations.
“We assure everyone that there is enough supply of food and other non-food items that would last until the typhoon leaves the country),” Marcos said in Filipino.
The DSWD said it has some P140.9 million worth of standby funds on hand including P61.859 million in quick reaction funds (QRF).
It also has on standby P774 million worth of stockpiles of family food packs (P554 million) and other food items (P218 million), and P969 million worth of non-food relief items.
This is on top of the 100,000 boxes of food packs already propositioned in Regions I (Ilocos), III (Central Luzon), IV-A (Calabarzon), and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) from August 25 to 27 in anticipation of calamities.
DSWD Cagayan Valley Regional Director Lucia Alan, in her report to Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian yesterday, said 367 families (1,219 individuals) from 24 barangays in the two provinces have been affected by Goring.
Alan said 138 families (468 individuals), most of them living near coastal areas, have been displaced and are now staying in 26 evacuation centers.
She said they have not received any reports of casualties, damaged houses, or stranded individuals, as of press time.
The DSWD Region II office has prepositioned 9,778 food packs in Batanes, 1,654 in Isabela, and 2,900 in the island municipality of Calayan.
The department’s regional office in CAR has also distributed food and non-food items to 29 families that were affected by flooding in Luna in Apayao. — With Jocelyn Montemayor
