Asean Weather Dec. 22-28 2017 : MANILA – Stronger tropical storm “Vinta” slams into Mindanao

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MANILA, Philippines — Authorities were on alert as “Vinta” intensified into a severe tropical storm and slammed into Mindanao early Friday morning, a little more than a week after Tropical Storm Urduja caused devastation and the deaths of 54 people in the Visayas due to floods and landslides.

Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) raised tropical Storm Signal No. 2 in Surigao del Norte including Siargao Islands, Surigao del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Northern Davao Oriental, Compostela Valley, Davao del Norte, Camiguin, Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Misamis Occidental, Eastern Zamboanga del Norte and Eastern Zamboanga del Sur in Mindanao and Siquijor and Southern Negros Oriental in the Visayas.

These areas are expected to be buffeted by winds of between 61 to 120 kph in the next 24 hours, according to the state weather agency.

Tropical Storm Signal No. 1 meanwhile was raised in Dinagat Island, rest of Davao Oriental, Davao del Sur, North Cotabato, Maguindanao, rest of Zamboanga del Norte, rest of Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, Southern Leyte, southern portion of Leyte, Bohol, Southern Cebu, rest of Negros Oriental and southern Negros Occidental. These regions will experience winds of between 30 to 60 kph in the next 36 hours.

Eastern Visayas is expected to be hit anew while its residents are still trying to get back on their feet after Urduja’s effects.

At 11 p.m. Thursday, the center of Vinta was estimated at 85 kilometers east of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur based on all available data. The severe tropical storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 90 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 125 kph. It is forecast to move westward at 20 kph.

Scattered to widespread moderate to heavy rains are expected to prevail in Visayas, CARAGA, Davao Region, Northern Mindanao, Zamboanga Peninsula, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao and North Cotabato in the next 24 hours.

PAGASA advised residents in these areas to take appropriate actions against possible flooding and landslides, coordinate with their respective local disaster risk reduction and management offices and continue monitoring for updates.

It also warned that sea travel is risky in waters off the seaboards of areas under tropical cyclone warning signal.

According to PAGASA, “Vinta” is expected to be at 65 km west northwest of Dipolog City, Zamboanga Del Norte Friday evening and 115 km south southwest of Puerto Prinsesa, Palawan on Saturday evening.

Clueless?

As the country prepares to be battered by another storm, the National Disaster Risk Reduction Coordinating Council could only come up with an official death count of four as of yesterday, even as latest field disaster reports showed that the number of Urduja-related deaths in the flood-hit and landslide-stricken Biliran, Leyte and Samar provinces has risen from 46 to 54.

The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Eastern Visayas also reported that 22 victims of landslides and flooding are currently confined in various hospitals for injuries while 125 injured at the height of the storm have been treated and sent home.

As of yesterday,  hope dimmed for the recovery of 31 others still missing in the landslides and flooding in Biliran and Eastern Samar.

“Only four death count? What happened to the other 50?” an irate observer said.

Eastern Visayas OCD, meanwhile, reported that a total of 290,673 families or 1,118,524 persons from Biliran, Leyte, Southern Leyte, Eastern Samar, Samar and Northern Samar were affected by Urduja’s flooding and landslides.

Damaged houses have risen to 2,756 in Northern Samar, Samar, Eastern Samar, Biliran and Southern Leyte.

Estimated cost of destroyed agricultural crops in Eastern Visayas alone has been placed at P533 million while damage to fishery is estimated at P2.5 million. There’s no estimate yet on destroyed road networks and bridges. – Evelyn Macairan, Edith Regalado, Cecille Suerte Felipe

COURTESY:
By Rhodina Villanueva, Jaime Laude and Audrey Morallo
The Philippine Star
Updated December 22, 2017 – 12:43am
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