Signal No. 3 up in 4 areas as ‘Ramil’ moves closer to RP

(As of 9 p.m.) The state weather bureau hoisted Storm Signal No. 3 at noon on Wednesday in the northernmost part of the Philippines as typhoon "Ramil" moved closer to the country. Placed under Signal No. 3 were Cagayan, the Calayan and Babuyan islands, and Batanes. Earlier in the day, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) chief Prisco Nilo said Ramil might make landfall on Friday or even spare the Philippines and head for Taiwan instead. "At this time lumalaki ang probability na maaari siyang lilihis nang bahagya at pumunta sa Taiwan (At this time the probability is growing that Ramil may change course slightly and head for Taiwan)," Nilo said early Wednesday morning. In its 5 p.m. weather bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Ramil was last spotted 455 kilometers east-northeast of Aparri, Cagayan. Pag-asa placed under Signal No. 2 the provinces of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Apayao, Abra, Kalinga, Isabela, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Benguet and La Union. Under Signal No. 1 were Ilocos Sur, Mt. Province, Ifugao, Benguet, La Union, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Aurora, northern Quezon, and Polilio islands. Packing maximum sustained winds of 175 kilometers per hour (kph) with gusts of 210 kph near the center, Ramil was spotted at 510 kilometers east-northeast of Aparri, Cagayan at 10 a.m. Wednesday. It was moving west-southwest at 15 kph and was expected to be 190 km northeast of Aparri in Ilocos Norte on Thursday morning. (Check the image on the right to see Ramil's path predicted by Pagasa, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), and the US' Joint Typhoon Warning Center. ) Pagasa weather sciences division chief Nathaniel Cruz said that if Ramil makes landfall, it would directly strike Cagayan, Apayao, and Ilocos Norte. “Ang ibang probinsiya ay maaapektuhan din ng bugso ng hangin (The nearby provinces would be affected by Ramil’s winds)," Cruz said in an interview on GMA’s Flash Report. Four dams to release water To avoid a repeat of what happened two weeks ago when dams in northern Luzon faced the threat of overflowing due to non-stop rains spawned by typhoon “Pepeng," some dams have started releasing water since Sunday in preparations for Ramil's entry to the country. On Wednesday, four major dams were still releasing water: Ambuklao Dam in Benguet, San Roque Dam in Pangasinan, Pantabangan Dam in Nueva Ecija, and Magat Dam in Isabela. Binga Dam in Itogon, Benguet closed its flood gates at 10 a.m. Wednesday due to an accident. Angat, Ipo, La Mesa, Binga, and Caliraya dams are all in normal condition, according to Pagasa. - With Mark Merueñas and Andreo Calonzo, GMANews.TV