Ofel weakens, batters Northern Luzon with wind, rain

MANILA, Philippines — Typhoon Ofel battered Northern Luzon yesterday with torrential rains and intense winds, with the highest wind signal raised during its passage.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Ofel (international name Usagi) made landfall over Baggao, Cagayan at around 1:30 p.m. yesterday.

Ofel was monitored in the vicinity of Gonzaga or Isca in Cagayan as of 4 p.m. and was forecast to make landfall in the vicinity of Babuyan Islands before passing over the waters of Batanes and northward toward the sea east of Taiwan.

PAGASA said that there is a high risk of life-threatening storm surge with peak heights exceeding three meters over parts of Batanes, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Cagayan including Babuyan Islands, Isabela and northern Aurora.

The cyclone weakened as it passed over the terrains of Luzon but was still packing maximum sustained winds of 165 km/h near the center and gustiness of up to 275 km/h.

Tropical cyclone wind signal No. 4 was still raised over Babuyan Islands and the northern and eastern portions of mainland Cagayan while signal No. 3 was raised over Batanes, the rest of Cagayan, the northern portion of Isabela, the northern portion of Apayao, and the northern portion of Ilocos Norte.

Meanwhile, signal No. 2 was raised over the western and eastern portions of Isabela, the rest of Apayao, Kalinga, the northeastern portion of Abra, the eastern portion of Mountain Province and the rest of Ilocos Norte.

Signal No. 1 was raised over the rest of Isabela, Quirino, the northern portion of Nueva Vizcaya, the rest of Mountain Province, the rest of Ifugao, the rest of Abra, the northern portion of Benguet, Ilocos Sur, the northern portion of La Union and the northern portion of Aurora.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Pepito (international name Man-yi) was forecast to enter the eastern boundary of the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) last night.

Pepito is forecast to generally move northwestward and make landfall over the eastern coast of Southern Luzon during the weekend. It is forecast to reach typhoon category today and could reach super typhoon category before landfall as it reaches peak intensity.

PAGASA warned that most areas in Luzon and Eastern Visayas are at risk of heavy rainfall, severe wind and, possibly, storm surge inundation.

Man-yi was last monitored 1,220 km east of Northern Mindanao. It was carrying maximum sustained winds of 85km/h and gustiness of up to 105km/h.

OCD, NDRRMC on highest alert

Disaster response and rescue teams in Northern Luzon provinces are now on highest alert status in preparation for the effects of Ofel and incoming storm Pepito.

Office of Civil Defense (OCD) deputy administrator for operations Cesar Idio announced yesterday that the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Operations Center has been placed on red alert.

He said the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) is ready to respond to incidents and emergencies related to Ofel and Pepito.

“National and local governments are still actively responding to the residual needs brought about by (typhoons) Kristine, Leon, Marce, and Nika, while response operations for Ofel and preparations for Pepito are ongoing,” he announced.

Idio said regional and local disaster risk reduction management councils are also on red alert status. He added local government units (LGUs) must undertake the necessary preparations as prescribed in the emergency preparedness and response protocols.

Idio said Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. has also instructed the concerned units to maximize the logistical window between Ofel and Pepito. He also directed the OCD Regions 1, 2, 3, 4A, 4B, 5, 6 and 7 to ensure the replenishment and prepositioning of resources during this window.

For its part, the Department of Public Works and Highways said only five national roads remain impassable in the Cordillera Administrative Region and Cagayan Valley, with some 18 national roads previously unusable and closed to the public due to serious damage already cleared and reopened.

PNP deploys personnel

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has deployed around 4,900 officers across regions expected to be affected by Ofel, focusing its efforts in northern Luzon, Region 2, Region 3, Calabarzon and Region 5.
PNP public information office chief Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo said forces are concentrated in areas facing severe weather impacts as signal No. 5 has been raised in northern Luzon.

Fajardo said that an additional 3,500 officers are on standby as rapid response teams to support local efforts, if needed.

The PNP said its personnel are supporting evacuation efforts, adding that 13,347 evacuation centers are available nationwide, with 219 centers occupied. In Region 2, roughly 8,890 families have already sought shelter as part of the preemptive and forced evacuation measures.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said they would be ready to respond to Pepito once it enters PAR.

The PCG’s stations in Southern Quezon and Bicol said they would send “deployable response groups” to help residents affected by the upcoming storm.

MMDA Chairman Romando Artes said that the agency would “preposition” its assets such as rescue boats and water purifiers in preparation for the arrival of Pepito, which is forecast to hit Metro Manila.

“We will preposition and coordinate with local government units in Metro Manila traditionally hit by floods and all,” he said during a press conference yesterday.

The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) will be sending a “humanitarian caravan” to Cagayan province starting Wednesday.

The PRC said its humanitarian caravan now en route to Cagayan consists of a food truck, a 6x6 truck, a rescue boat, and an emergency response team.

Last Nov.  11, the PRC already sent its initial humanitarian caravan composed of a water tanker, two food trucks, and two service vehicles in the provinces of Cagayan, Isabela and Aurora.

“We mobilized the second batch of our assets to serve more vulnerable individuals in need of our immediate assistance in Cagayan. We want to ensure that our chapters are fully equipped and ready to respond to any emergencies,” said PRC chairman and CEO Richard Gordon.

“Though we already provided a lot of humanitarian aid to our typhoon-affected kababayans in several areas, our work will continue because there’s a lot to be done,” PRC secretary-general Dr. Gwen Pang added.

As of Nov. 14, approximately 5,000 people affected by typhoons Marce and Nika received hot meals, clean water, hygiene kits, medicines, health consultations and child-friendly spaces, among others, from the PRC. –  Michael Punongbayan, Mark Ernest Villeza, Ghio Ong, Rhodina Villanueva, Rainier Allan Ronda