Approaching storm to dump more rain to north Luzon

An approaching storm codenamed "Gorio" will dump more rain on northern provinces already devastated by the fury of Typhoon Feria (Utor) which led to 128 deaths, weathermen said yesterday.

The center of the tropical depression was at 380 kilometers southeast of Cagayan province, as 4 p.m. yesterday, the government weather bureau said.

With sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour, the approaching disturbance would "induce monsoon rains" with coastal areas expected to be rough, it warned.

The first of a four-step storm signal has been hoisted over the provinces of Isabela, Apayao, the Batanes island group and Cagayan, the weather bureau said.

Cagayan, Apayao and the mountain resort of Baguio as well as other northern provinces bore the brunt of Utor’s fury last week and the upcoming storm could slow down relief work in the region, officials said.

The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said the death toll from Feria rose to 128, with another 157 people injured and about 46 still missing.

It said some 966,108 people had been displaced, with some areas in the north still submerged in flood water.

The NDCC said rescue operations for some of those trapped were ongoing, with the military dispatching trucks and rubber boats to affected areas.

Roads blocked off by landslides and fallen power pylons and trees were being cleared as doctors went on alert for the possible outbreak of diseases, the NDCC said. – Felix de los Santos, Eva de Leon, Abe Bello