'Dindo' hits north, Central Luzon

Manila, Philippines -  Tropical storm “Dindo” (international name Doksuri) yesterday battered Northern and Central Luzon with strong winds and heavy rains, prompting authorities in affected areas to suspend classes and domestic flights.

As of 11 a.m. yesterday, storm warning signal no. 2 was raised over Cagayan, including Calayan and Babuyan Group of Islands, Isabela, Batanes Group of Islands, Apayao, Kalinga, Ilocos Norte, Abra and Mountain Province.

Signal no. 1, meanwhile, was hoisted over the provinces of La Union, Ilocos Sur, Aurora, Ifugao, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Benguet, Pangasinan and Nueva Ecija.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the eye of the storm was spotted at 150 kilometers east northeast of Aparri, Cagayan as of 10 a.m. yesterday.

Dindo, with maximum sustained winds of 75 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 90 kph, was moving west northwest at 19 kph.

The center of Dindo was expected to pass along Babuyan Group of Islands at around 1 p.m. yesterday.

PAGASA administrator Nathaniel Servando said Dindo - the strongest cyclone to affect the country so far this year - will continue to bring strong winds and heavy rains in Regions 1, 2 and 3.

“It (Dindo) started to dump heavy rains over these regions since early morning,” he said.

Servando said the rains experienced in Metro Manila yesterday were due to the southwest monsoon being enhanced by the storm.

Servando added there were no reports of flooding in areas directly affected by the storm as of yesterday noon.

However, PAGASA is closely monitoring the water level at Magat Dam in Isabela for overflowing due to heavy rains triggered by the weather disturbance.

Dindo was forecast to bring 15 to 25 millimeters per hour (heavy-intense) rain within its 400-km radius.

“Dindo is expected to enhance the southwest monsoon that will bring rains over Southern Luzon and Visayas, especially the western section, which may trigger landslides and flashfloods,” PAGASA said.

The weather bureau also warned the public against possible occurrence of storm surge over the coastal areas under storm warning signal no. 2.

It also cautioned fishermen and operators of small sea vessels not to venture into the seas of Central and Southern Luzon and Western Visayas due to big waves generated by the storm and the southwest monsoon.

Monitoring dams

The provincial government of Pangasinan, on the other hand, made preparations by monitoring the water level of the dams.

The Pampanga River Flood Forecasting and Warning Center (PRFFWC) in Central Luzon advised residents in Bulacan and Pampanga to be on alert for possible flooding as the storm was expected to bring more rains.

The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO) in Bulacan said the water elevation in Angat Dam dropped to 186.51 meters above sea level (masl) yesterday morning from 186.84 masl recorded on Wednesday.

The Magat Dam water level at the boundary of Isabela and Ifugao, on the other hand, remains stable at 183.45 meters, way below the critical/spilling level of 191 meters.

Engineer Saturnino Tenedor of the National Irrigation Agency said no spilling of excess water from the dam was reported to possibly cause floods along downstream areas.

Meanwhile, Isabela and Cagayan, both battered by the storm yesterday continued to have no reports of damage or fatalities as of 3 p.m.

Isabela Vice Gov. Rodito Albano said the provincial government was more than ready for any possible untoward incident that may come as a result of the storm.

“We were able to withstand strong typhoons in the past, so I don’t see any reason why we won’t be able to survive this one,” he said.

Earlier, Isabela Gov. Faustino Dy III said that the provincial disaster council was keeping an eye on developments in case there was need for evacuation.

Bonifacio Cuarteros, Cagayan provincial disaster management officer, said that they have prepared for the weather onslaught since the other day.

“We have already advised people living near the coastlines of the province to prepare to transfer to safer ground in case of the need to call for an evacuation,” Cuarteros said.

Classes in elementary and high school were suspended in Cagayan, Isabela and parts of Nueva Vizcaya due to Dindo yesterday.

Seven domestic flights were canceled yesterday as the storm approached Northern Luzon.

The canceled flights are Philippine Airlines flight PR 226/227 from Manila-Laoag-Manila, Airphil Express flight 2P014/015 from Manila-Tuguegarao-Manila, Cebu Pacific flights 5J504/505 from Manila-Tuguegarao-Manila and 5J902 from Caticlan-Manila.

Authorities also prevented fishing boats and passenger ships in Aparri and other seaports from going out to sea due to the inclement weather.

Dindo is predicted to be 310 km northwest of Aparri or 240 km west of Basco, Batanes this morning.

It will be at 630 km northwest of Basco, Batanes or out of Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) by tomorrow morning.

Dindo is the fourth tropical cyclone to enter the country this year. – Helen Flores, Eva Visperas, Dino Balabo, Raymund Catindig, Charlie Lagasca, Rudy Santos