Improved weather seen as Henry exits Phl

MANILA, Philippines - The weather is expected to improve today as tropical storm Henry (international name Matmo) left the Philippine area of responsibility yesterday.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Henry weakened into a tropical storm after crossing Taiwan yesterday morning.

The provinces of Zambales, Bataan and Pangasinan will continue to experience monsoon rains while Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon will have occasional rains today.

The rest of the country will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms.

Meanwhile, PAGASA said a low-pressure area earlier spotted east of the Philippines has dissipated.

But weather forcaster Alvin Pura said they are monitoring another low-pressure area over the Pacific Ocean, which may enter the country by Sunday or Monday.

The next weather disturbance will be named Inday.

As of 4 a.m. yesterday, Henry was at 520 km north of Basco, Batanes or at 120 km west of northern Taiwan with maximum sustained winds of 110 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 140 kph. It was forecast to move northwest at 20 kph.

Henry is predicted to be at 520 km northwest of Basco or in the vicinity of Zheijiang, China this morning.

Class suspension

The city government of San Juan yesterday suspended classes in pre-school in all private and public schools due to monsoon rains brought by Typhoon Henry.

The threat of heavy monsoon rain prompted a majority of local government units in Southern Luzon to suspend classes earlier this week.

Glenda’s damage exceeds P10 billion

The amount of property damaged by Glenda has exceeded P10 billion with the agriculture sector bearing the brunt of the typhoon’s impact, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported yesterday.

The damage to crops, livestock, fisheries and agricultural facilities has reached P8.94-billion in Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Metro Manila and Cordillera.

Fisheries accounted the bulk of the damage at P5.5 billion, while damage to crops and agriculture facilities reached P3-billion and P373-million respectively.

The amount of damaged to infrastructure in Central Luzon, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon), Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan) , Bicol, Eastern Visayas and Metro Manila totaled P1.51-billion.

The cost of damage to school buildings totaled P28.08 million, with 115 of 162 school divisions having been affected by Glenda.

Of the 25,856 schools in affected regions, 187 were used as evacuation centers.

The NDRRMC said the death toll from Glenda has reached 98 while the number of injured persons was at 630. Five persons are still missing a week after the typhoon left the country.

It said Glenda affected 1.6 million people or more than 330,000 families.

P500-M damage to infra

Close to P500 million worth of roads and bridges were damaged by strong winds and rain brought by Typhoon Glenda, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said yesterday.

In a statement, the DPWH said there was reported damage in some roads, bridges, flood control facilities and buildings in six regions. – With Evelyn Macairan, Non Alquitran, Alexis Romero Ric Sapnu, Cecille Suerte Felipe