November 27, 2007 | 12:00am
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said that more bad weather will be experienced around the country as three tropical storms continue to linger around the Philippines Area of Responsibility.
PAGASA-Mactan Chief Oscar Tabada said the meeting of the three weather disturbances — typhoon Mina, tropical storm Lando, and a low pressure area that might develop into a tropical depression named Nonoy – may happen on Thursday.
Tabada said tropical storm Lando has been pulled back by Typhoon Mina which is why it is expected to re-enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility.
Tabada explained that the attraction of “Lando” towards “Mina” is called the “Fujiwhara effect, a case wherein a stronger weather disturbance is affecting the lower one.
The Fujiwhara effect describes the rotation of two storms around each other. It’s most common with tropical cyclones such as typhoons or hurricanes, but also occurs in other cases. The effect is thought to occur when storms get about 1,500 kilometers.
“Mina” is more dominant, she is the stronger typhoon. It’s always like that in the Fujiwhara effect. If the dominant typhoon turns, the other will move too. Upon crossing Northern Luzon, “Mina” is expected to do a U-turn, and “Lando” will also move.
Lando, which exited the PAR last week, may reenter through Palawan and Nonoy may enter the PAR through the Visayas region.Tabada said Lando has again developed into a tropical storm, packing maximum sustained winds of 95 kilometers per hour.
If Cebu will be on Lando’s path, Tabada said that they cannot yet tell whether Lando will still hit the metropolis.
“Wala man nay dalan ang bagyo however, we should not feel relaxed about it because it might hit the city,” Tabada said.
Tabada said that according to their forecast, Lando will enter Palawan and will pass through Mindoro.
Mina on the other hand,is expected to move to the vicinity of Laoag City, Ilocos Norte and Basco, Batanes on Tuesday morning and will be felt in the province of Batanes until Thursday.
Nonoy on the other hand has not yet entered the PAR but is expected to hit the country Thursday, according to the Tabada.
Mina’s Wrath
Typhoon Mina slammed into the northeastern Philippines after killing at least eight people in other parts of the country. Mina roared into the coastal town of Palanan in Isabela province late Sunday, its sustained wind weakening but remaining dangerous at 120 kilometers per hour with gusts of up to 150 kph, chief government forecaster Nathaniel Cruz said.After hitting land, it veered toward the country’s mountainous northern provinces, where authorities evacuated thousands of people due to fears of landslides.The typhoon flooded at least 50 villages in Isabela, a province of more than a million people. A swollen river in the provincial capital, Ilagan, engulfed at least 10 houses, whose residents fled to safety late Sunday, officials said, adding that most of Isabela had no power.In its report dated Monday noon, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said seven of the eight fatalities were from Camarines Sur while one was from Camarines Norte. The two missing were from Apayao province.However, it said there are still no reports of casualties in Cagayan Valley, where Mina made landfall before midnight Sunday. The NDCC also said at least 30,844 families or 141,863 persons have been evacuated to 21 evacuation centers as of Monday noon.It said these include 284 families or 1,110 persons in 14 evacuation centers in Cagayan Valley; and 5,676 families or 28,355 persons in Catanduanes.In nearby Cagayan province, two villagers drowned Sunday. Strong winds toppled trees and knocked down power posts, cutting off electricity in the province of nearly a million, Gov. Alvaro Antonio said. The province’s rice industry suffered losses.‘’We were just one or two weeks away from harvest time. I’m afraid we’ve lost everything to the flood and strong winds,’’ Antonio told The Associated Press by telephone.The Agriculture Department estimated losses at over P100 million, which is just a fraction of the billions of pesos in damages wrought by storms last year.
A landslide covered a road in the resort town of Pagudpud, in northern Ilocos Norte province, late Sunday, blocking buses and cars, but apparently causing no injuries. Troops were deployed to clear the road, army Maj. Gen. Melchor Dilodilo said.Classes were suspended in several provinces, partly because some were used to shelter evacuees, officials said.Among the eight dead, five people drowned and another was electrocuted over the weekend in southeastern Camarines Sur province, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said.Mina has been the most erratic of the 13 typhoons and major storms that have hit the Philippines this year. It first headed for the populous Bicol region, where more than 250,000 people were evacuated, but shifted Saturday to the north.As authorities scrambled to shift their focus to the northern provinces of Isabela, Aurora and Cagayan, forecasters said a typhoon that killed 14 people in the Philippines last week before heading for Vietnam had reversed direction.— with reports from AP, GMANews.TV
