“OFEL” intensified into a typhoon from severe tropical storm yesterday as it continued to head towards northern Luzon where it was forecast to make landfall today in Isabela or Cagayan province.
Ofel is forecast to exit the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) Sunday or Monday.
Meanwhile, a tropical storm outside PAR, with international name “Man-yi,” was forecast to enter PAR tonight. Upon entry, Man-yi will be named “Pepito.” It may intensify into a severe tropical storm and to a typhoon today, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
Pepito may make landfall “over the eastern coast of Luzon during the weekend,” PAGASA also said.
“Although it is too early to exactly determine the specific areas to be affected by certain hazards and due to the shifting track forecast of Man-yi, most areas in Luzon are at risk of heavy rainfall, severe wind, and, possibly, storm surge inundation from Man-yi which may cause considerable impacts,” it added.
PAGASA, in a bulletin issued at 8 p.m. yesterday, said four areas were placed under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 2 because of Ofel. These are Cagayan (including Babuyan Islands), northern and eastern portions of Isabela, Apayao, and northern portion of Ilocos Norte, according to a bulletin issued by PAGASA at 8 p.m. yesterday,
Ten areas were under Signal No. 1 — Batanes, rest of Isabela, Quirino, northern portion of Nueva Vizcaya, Kalinga, Abra, Mountain Province, Ifugao, rest of Ilocos Norte, and northern portion of Aurora.
PAGASA said Ofel, as of 7 p.m., was some 425 km east of Baler, Aurora. It was moving west northwestward at 20 kph, with maximum sustained winds of 130 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 160 kph.
“Ofel is forecast to move west northwestward to northwestward over the Philippine Sea before making landfall along the eastern coast of Cagayan or Isabela tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon,” PAGASA said.
“It will then emerge over the Luzon Strait on Friday, pass close to or make landfall over Babuyan Islands, then turn northeastward on Saturday towards the sea east of Taiwan,” PAGASA also said.
Ofel intensified into a typhoon at 2 a.m. yesterday and will continue to gain strength.
“Ofel is forecast to steadily intensify within 24 hours and possibly make landfall during its peak intensity (as typhoon),” PAGASA said.
PAGASA said heavy to intense rains are expected until this afternoon in Cagayan and Isabela.
This afternoon until Friday afternoon, intense to torrential rains are expected in the two provinces, and heavy to intense rains in Batanes, Ilocos Norte and Apayao.
FORCED EVACUATION
Rueli Rapsing, chief of the Cagayan provincial disaster risk reduction and management office, said the province has adopted measures to mitigate Ofel’s effects, including forced evacuation of residents living in areas prone to flooding and landslides.
“All the mayors must implement forced evacuation, not preemptive but forced evacuation,” said Rapsing.
Rapsing said residents living in hazard areas should be evacuated “just to make sure they are safe.”
CLASS DISRUPTIONS
The Department of Education (DepEd) said over 377,000 students may suffer further learning losses due to the suspension of face-to-face classes during typhoons and other natural calamities.
Data provided by DepEd showed that 239 schools across the country are considered “very high risk” to further learning losses due to the frequency of natural hazards and severe damages incurred affecting 377,729 learners.
Also, 4,771 schools with 3,865,903 learners are categorized as “high risk,” DepEd said.
As an example, the department said in the current school year, the Cordillera Administrative Region already recorded 35 class disruptions.
“This accounts for the highest number of school days lost mainly due to natural disasters and calamities,” it said.
Other severely impacted regions such as Regions II (Cagayan Valley) , I (Ilocos) IV-A (Calabarzon), and III (Central Luzon) experienced at least 29 class disruptions each.
Last month, in-person classes in more than 18, 000 schools in 79 divisions located at 16 regions in the country were suspended due to the onslaught of typhoon “Kristine” affecting several million students.
To address the problem, Education Secretary Sonny Angara convened the National Management Committee to explore intervention programs for the possible learning losses, including the Dynamic Learning Program (DLP) to ensure learning continuity especially in affected regions.
Angara said the DLP can be implemented in schools as make-up classes and catch-up sessions in temporary learning spaces.
The initiative features parallel classes, activity-based engagement, student portfolios, and a reduced homework policy.
PORTS
The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) directed all port managers to hold a pre-disaster risk assessment on port infrastructure, facilities, and equipment to identify vulnerabilities and ensure that preventive measures are in place to minimize potential damage and disruption in anticipation of the forthcoming typhoons.
The PPA also ordered the activation of emergency response teams, review of evacuation plans, and the enforcement of safety protocols to safeguard personnel, port users, and assets.
In a memorandum, the PPA said all its personnel must be briefed on safety procedures and prepared for any necessary operational changes while all port managers must maintain communication lines with the operations center at the PPA head office to relay situational reports, receive further instructions and provide timely updates on the status of preparations and any incidents that may occur.
“The PPA said port managers should coordinate with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices (LDRRMO), and other agencies to stay updated on the storm’s trajectory and receive safety advisories,” the memorandum said. – With Ashzel Hachero and Jocelyn Montemayor
