By ELLALYN V. RUIZ *AFP
Typhoon “Rolly” (international name “Goni”) moved closer to Luzon, prompting the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration to raise tropical cyclone wind signal No. 3 over Catanduanes and parts of Camarines Sur and Albay yesterday afternoon.
PAGASA sees a possible landfall over Catanduanes and the Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur area today as Rolly has been moving more west-southwest towards Bicol.
More than 200,000 persons were ordered to evacuate their homes as the most powerful typhoon of the year so far barreled towards the country with authorities warning of “destructive” winds and storm surges.
PAGASA spotted Rolly at 410 kilometers east-northeast of Virac, Catanduanes around 1 p.m.
The State weather bureau said Rolly may pass over Catanduanes and mainland Camarines provinces by this morning before proceeding to mainland Quezon in the afternoon. After its landfall over Quezon, Rolly will possibly pass close to Metro Manila between tonight and tomorrow morning.
It has maintained its maximum sustained winds of 215 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 265 kph. The State weather bureau said Rolly will likely remain a typhoon with maximum sustained winds between 185 kph and 205 kph by the time it makes landfall.
Violent winds and intense rainfall associated with the inner rainband-eyewall region of Rolly will prevail over Catanduanes, Camarines Norte, and Camarines Sur early today through the afternoon, and over Quezon and southern portion of Aurora by the afternoon through evening.
As Rolly inched closer to land, tropical cyclone wind signal No. 3 was hoisted over Catanduanes, northeastern portion of Camarines Sur (Tinambac, Siruma, Goa, Tigaon, Sagnay, San Jose, Lagonoy, Garchitorena, Presentacion, Caramoan, and Sagnay), and northeastern portion of Albay (Tiwi, Malinao, Tabaco City, Malilipot, Sto. Domingo, Bacacay, and Rapu-Rapu).
Signal No. 2 was raised over the southeastern portion of Laguna (Sta. Maria, Famy, Mabitac, Pakil, Siniloan, Pangil, Paete, Kalayaan, Lumban, Cavinti, Pagsanjan, Luisiana, Majayjay, Magdalena, Sta. Cruz, Pila, Liliw, Nagcarlan, Rizal, Victoria, Calauan, San Pablo City, Alaminos, and Bay), Quezon, including Polillo Islands, Camarines Norte, the rest of Camarines Sur, the rest of Albay, Sorsogon, the northern portion of Masbate (Mobo, Milagros, Masbate City, Baleno, Aroroy, Mandaon, and Balud), including Ticao and Burias Islands, Marinduque, Romblon, and Northern Samar.
Areas under Signal No. 1 were Metro Manila, Rizal, rest of Laguna, Cavite, Batangas, Occidental Mindoro, including Lubang Island, Oriental Mindoro, Bulacan, Pampanga, Bataan, Zambales, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Aurora, Pangasinan, La Union, Benguet, Ifugao, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, southern portion of Isabela (Aurora, Luna, Reina Mercedes, Naguilian, Benito Soliven, San Mariano, Palanan, Dinapigue, San Guillermo, Echague, San Agustin, Jones, Cordon, Santiago City, Ramon, San Isidro, Angadanan, Alicia, Cauayan City, Cabatuan, and San Mateo), northern portion of Samar (Tagapul-An, Almagro, Sto. Nino, Tarangnan, Catbalogan City, Calbayog City, Sta. Margarita, Gandara, Pagsanghan, San Jorge, Jiabong, Motiong, Paranas, San Jose de Buan, and Matuguinao), the northern portion of Eastern Samar (Taft, Can-Avid, Dolores, Maslog, Jipapad, Arteche, Oras, and San Policarpo), and Biliran.
After crossing Southern Luzon and Metro Manila, Rolly is seen to leave mainland Luzon landmass by tomorrow morning. It is forecast to weaken considerably and emerge as a severe tropical storm or minimal typhoon over the West Philippine Sea.
The outer rainbands of Rolly may begin to bring light to moderate with at times heavy rains over Bicol region and Eastern Visayas yesterday.
Beginning early this morning, the passage of Rolly will bring heavy to intense rains over Metro Manila, Bicol region, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon, Central Luzon, Marinduque, and the northern portions Occidental Mindoro and Oriental Mindoro.
Moderate to heavy rains will also prevail over Cagayan Valley, Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos region, Romblon, and the rest of Occidental Mindoro and Oriental Mindoro.
PAGASA warned that flooding, rain-induced landslides, and sediment-laden streamflows or lahar may occur during heavy or prolonged rainfall especially in areas that are highly susceptible to these hazards.
Destructive typhoon-force winds will be experienced in areas under Signal No. 3, damaging gale- to storm-force winds in areas under Signal No. 2, and strong breeze to near gale conditions in areas under Signal No. 1.
Based on the intensity forecast, the highest possible wind signal to be raised will be Signal No. 4 for very destructive typhoon-force winds.
While Rolly is unleashing heavy rains and intense winds over Luzon, the tropical depression with international name “Atsani” could enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility this afternoon. It will be assigned its local name “Siony” once inside the PAR.
It was estimated at 1,655 kms east of Southern Luzon around 10 a.m. Saturday.
Atsani has maximum sustained winds of 55 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 70 kph, moving northwest at 25 kph. It is likely to re-intensify into a tropical storm in the next 24, and further into a typhoon in the next few days.
It remains less likely to affect any portion of the country over the next three days. But Estareja said PAGASA is not ruling out a possible landfall over Central or Southern Luzon, before recurving toward the southern islands of Japan in the coming days.
Rolly comes a week after typhoon “Molave” (international name “Saudel”) slammed into Southern Luzon, killing 22 people and flooding low-lying villages and farmland, before sweeping across the South China Sea to Vietnam.
Schools which have been empty since the start of the coronavirus pandemic will be used as emergency shelters as well as government-run evacuation centers and gymnasiums.
Authorities ramped up preparations in the Bicol region southeast of Manila, marshalling rescue vehicles, emergency response teams and relief goods ahead of the typhoon.
More than 200,000 people have been told to seek shelter in the Bicol region with evacuations also expected in other areas.
A maximum of five people will be allowed to shelter in a single school room that previously would have held 16, regional civil defense spokesman Alexis Naz said, and that the natural disaster-prone region had enough facilities.
Hundreds of people have been left stranded after the Coast Guard ordered ferries and fishing boats into port in expectation of rough seas throwing up 15-meter waves.
The Philippines is hit by an average of 20 tropical cyclones every year, which typically wipe out harvests, homes, and infrastructure, keeping millions of people perennially poor.
