Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 29) – The state weather bureau on Friday warned against a potentially destructive typhoon that may enter the Philippines over the weekend.
A forecaster from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) likened the strength of Typhoon “Kammuri,” which will be called “Tisoy” upon its entry to the Philippine area late Saturday or early Sunday, to recent years’ destructive typhoons “Glenda” and “Reming.”
“Taking into account historical records … we have typhoon Glenda – we are looking at almost the same track. Another weather disturbance, Reming, which brought damage,” PAGASA weather specialist Chris Perez said in a briefing.
Reming left 734 individuals dead in 2006, while “Glenda” killed 106 people in 2014 and had caused around P38.6-billion in damage, data from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council showed.
Perez said that if the typhoon does not change course, it would raise warning signals one to four over parts of Luzon and Visayas. This means that storm surges in coastal areas, and damage to structures, crops, trees and power lines is possible.
Forecasters said the weather disturbance has a low chance of developing into a super typhoon, with winds of 220 kilometers per hour (kph), but they are not ruling out the possibility that it may become one, as it is “forecast to steadily intensify before making landfall in southern Luzon.”
PAGASA said that rainy weather over parts of Luzon, including southern Luzon where the venues of the Southeast Asian Games are, and Visayas will begin on Sunday and persist until Wednesday. The sites of the multi-sport event include Clark, Pampanga, Subic, Zambales, Tagaytay, Cavite, La Union, and parts of Metro Manila.
Scattered rains and thunderstorms caused by the outer rainbands of Kammuri will prevail over parts of the Bicol Region and Samar provinces on Sunday or Monday. The typhoon is also expected to hit land in the Bicol area or Aurora province on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, between Tuesday and Wednesday, people over southern and Central Luzon as well as central and western Visayas will have to brace for heavy to intense rains, the weather agency said.
Kammuri was last seen 1,470 kilometers east of southern Luzon with maximum sustained winds of 140 kph near the center and gusts of up to 170 kph.
Albay Governor Al Francis Bichara ha already raised “code white on Friday over the province to brace for emergencies as the storms draws near. Under this alert, health personnel will remain on standby to respond to medical needs. Emergency hotlines are also now active.
