FOUR provinces were placed under Signal No. 2 yesterday due to typhoon “Bising,” the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.
Under the typhoon signal were Catanduanes, where mandatory evacuation was implemented, and the Samar provinces — Northern Samar, Eastern Samar and Samar.
Twelve other 12 areas were placed under Signal No. 1. These were the eastern portion of Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Albay, Sorsogon, Masbate including Burias and Ticao Islands, Biliran, Leyte, Southern Leyte, northern portion of Cebu including Bantayan and Camotes Islands, Dinagat Islands, Siargao Islands, and Bucas Grande Islands.
PAGASA said Bising has slightly weakened (from maximum sustained winds of 215 kph and gustiness of 265 kph as of 11 am yesterday) and will continue to gradually weaken.
Catanduanes Gov. Joseph Cua said he has ordered the mandatory evacuation of residents living near shorelines and riverbank, and landslide-prone areas.
PAGASA, in a bulletin issued at 5 p.m. yesterday, said Bising was some 290 km east east of Virac, Catanduanes as of 4 p.m yesterday. It was moving west northwestward at 15 kph, packing winds of up to 205 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 250 kph.
PAGASA said moderate to heavy with at times intense rains will be experienced today in the Bicol region and Northern Samar.
“Under these conditions, flooding (including flashfloods) and rain-induced landslides are likely to occur especially in areas identified in hazard maps as highly or very highly susceptible to these hazards,” PAGASA said.
Bising, which remains unlikely to make landfall in any part of the country, is forecast to begin moving slowly northwestward while it is east of Bicol, the move generally northward on Tuesday, before turning north northwestward while in east of Cagayan Valley.
“By Wednesday evening or Thursday early morning, the typhoon is forecast to turn northeastward or east northeastward away from the landmass of Luzon,” PAGASA said.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said 105 families or 340 persons have been preemptively evacuated in Garchitorena town in Camarines Sur.
NDRRMC deputy spokesman Mark Timbal also, citing initial reports from the field, said 32 families or 136 persons were evacuated to the municipal gym of Mapanas town in Northern Samar.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development on Saturday said P182 million worth of food packs are in strategic locations.
