Pagasa warns of 'tsunami-like' storm surges in Bicol, N. Luzon

The state weather bureau warned residents in coastal areas in Northern Luzon and the Bicol region to be alert for powerful storm surges as typhoon 'Pepeng' nears landfall. Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) chief Prisco Nilo said residents on the Pacific side of Luzon should prepare for immediate evacuation should waters rise. Nilo said the storm surge will have a "tsunami-like" effect, where strong waves as high as 15 feet would slam on land. In a 5 p.m. press conference on Friday, Nilo said 'Pepeng' has slowed down to 13 kph this afternoon from 19 kph earlier in the day. But 39 areas, including Metro Manila, have storm warnings.

A storm surge or storm tide occurs when the wind that swirls around a storm pushes water toward the shore. When the surge combines with normal tides and creates a hurricane, mean water level rises 15 feet or more. The rise in water level due to the combined force of storm surge and normal tides could cause severe flooding in coastal regions. Coastal villages in the Philippines are also vulnerable to storm surges, although no casualty as serious as those experienced in the Bengal Bay area and the US have been recorded so far. The Bay of Bengal area, which forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, is touted as the storm surge capital of the world. In November 27, 2007, a storm surge with 10-foot-high waves slammed into 16 towns in the province of Misamis Oriental, inundating 53 barangays (villages) and forcing 1,160 families to flee their homes. [See: Storm surge: Death, destruction, displacement] The 2005 “Katrina" was also among the deadliest hurricanes in the US, which produced storm surges of up to 25 feet and devastated areas across Mississippi and Alabama. - Joseph Holandes Ubalde, GMANews.TV