PAGASA: Typhoon to linger in area until Sunday

DOST-PAGASA MTSAT-EIR Satellite Image for 11 p.m. 22 Oct. 2009

MANILA - Typhoon "Ramil" (international code name Lupit) has weakened as it continues to move closer towards northern Luzon, the state weather bureau said Thursday evening.

In its 11 p.m. bulletin, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) reported that as of 10 p.m. "Ramil" was spotted 150 kilometers east of Aparri, Cagayan.

It now has maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 150 kph.

The weather disturbance is forecast to move west slowly, and PAGASA weather bureau chief Nathaniel Cruz, in an interview on ABS-CBN's Bandila newscast, said the typhoon will linger over the tip of Northern Luzon until Sunday after making landfall Friday.

The PAGASA retained public storm warning signal number 3 over the provinces of Batanes, Cagayan (including the Calayan and Babuyan islands), Apayao, and Ilocos Norte. These areas are expected to experience winds of 100-185 kph.

Public storm warning signal number 2, meanwhile, has been raised over Kalinga, Isabela, Ilocos Sur, Abra, and Mountain Province. These areas will experience winds of up to 60-100 kph.

Benguet, La Union, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, and northern Aurora are now under public storm warning signal number 1 (winds of 30-60 kph).

Other storm warning signals in some provinces have been lowered.

Landfall Friday morning

PAGASA director Prisco Nilo, in the bureau's 5 p.m. media briefing, said the presence of two high pressure areas (HPAs), particularly the one near the Hong Kong area, has influenced the movement and speed of the typhoon.

Nilo said that the HPA near Hong Kong has given the typhoon a bit of leeway, which has caused it to speed up a bit as it barrels toward Cagayan.

Landfall, meanwhile, is estimated to happen by Friday morning, based on the present data available, Nilo said.

PAGASA said residents in low-lying areas and near mountain slopes under storm warning signals should take all the necessary precautionary measures against possible flashfloods and landslides. Those living along the coast in the same areas are advised to be on alert against storm surge and big waves generated by the typhoon.

The bureau also alerted residents of the eastern seaboards of central and southern Luzon, and of the western seaboard of northern Luzon, for strong to gale force winds.

These areas will experience mostly cloudy to cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms, and winds between 55 to 68 kph.

Sea conditions in these areas will be rough to very rough, with waves betweenb 3.7 to 5.0 meters high.

Fishing boats and other small seacrafts are advised not to venture out into the sea, while larger sea vessels are alerted against vig waves.

Meanwhile, only 3 major dams in Luzon - the Ambuklao, Binga, and Pantabangan - are under spilling operations as of 10 p.m. Thursday.

Magat and San Roque Dams have already closed their spillway gates as of 11 a.m. The rest of the dams are under normal conditions. Ipo and Ambuklao dams were however reported to be having increases in the voume of their respective water reservoirs for the last 2 hours.

Northern Luzon prepares for typhoon

As of Thursday afternoon, areas in northern Cagayan were already feeling the effects of "Ramil," but people are just trickling in at evacuation centers in the area.

In Aparri, residents are still holding out in their homes, saying the typhoon is not yet expected to make landfall in the evening.

The town's seawall has partially been damaged, while water has already submerged parts of the town's airstrip.

Aparri Mayor Ismael Tumaru said there is also an impending danger from the Cagayan River delta. Tumaru said fishponds and ricefields inland are in danger of flooding if storm surges push water up the river.

Aside from Aparri, officials of Gonzaga and Pamplona towns have also reported people evacuating, but the numbers reportedly are still minimal.

The province's Rescue 29 group is currently making the rounds in the province to urge residents to take shelter in evacuation centers.

In La Union, which has been under signal number 2 since Wednesday, the local government was able to bring relief goods in several areas due to better-than-expected weather.

The province, although already experiencing strong winds, is not yet experiencing rainds as of Thursday afternoon.

All emergency responders in the province are on red alert, the local government added.

Meanwhile, residents in Baguio City and Isabela province have started evacuating to sater areas as the typhoon nears their area. With reports from Ina Reformina, Jorge Cariño, ABS-CBN News; Harris Julio, ABS-CBN Isabela; and Butch Mendizabal, ABS-CBN Baguio