Fast-moving ‘Basyang’ may be out of RP by Wednesday night

Typhoon "Basyang" is moving so fast it might be out of Philippine territory by Wednesday night even before it could cause bodies of waters to swell to destructive proportion, state weather forecasters said Tuesday. At a press conference, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) director Prisco Nilo said despite pouring an average of 10 to 22 millimeters of rain every hour, Basyang is still unlikely to cause rivers in central Luzon — where it is expected to pass through — and Metro Manila to overflow because of its 22-kilometer-per-hour (kph) speed. "Iyong Marikina River, Laguna de Bay, and the Pasig River, hindi siguro mago-overflow dahil mabilis ang takbo ng bagyong ito (I don't think the Marika River, Laguna de Bay and the Pasig River will overflow because of the speed of this typhoon)," Nilo said. These rivers swelled at the height of the destructive tropical storm Ondoy in September last year, resulting to massive floods that killed hundreds of people and caused billions of pesos worth of damages in infrastructure and agriculture. At the speed it is going, Basyang is expected to make land fall in the northern Quezon-Aurora area between 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday, then hover over central Luzon before reaching South China Sea by Wednesday morning.

"In the evening of Wednesday, nasa labas na ito ng (it will be out of) Philippine area of responsibility," Nilo added. Basyang, which was last spotted at 40 km north-northeast of Daet, Camarines Norte, is packing maximum sustain winds of 120 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 150 kph. 2 to 3 more storms The radius of Basyang's "rain area" is pegged at about 250 kilometers, while its 120-kph winds has a reach of 30-kilometer radius. But still, the amount of rainfall that Basyang carries would not be enough to bring water in major Luzon dams to normal level, according to Susan Espinueva, officer-in-charge of PAGASA's hydro-meteorology division. She said Bulacan's Angat Dam, the major source of water of Metro Manila, is currently facing a 23.4-meter water deficit and needs at least 600 millimeters of water before its water reaches the 181-meter normal level. Basyang is only expected to bring in around 100 to 150 mm of rain. "Definitely, hindi kayang i-normalize ang water supply doon... around two meters lang ang itataas ng tubig... Pero at least, tataas ang level ng tubig (Definitely Basyang can not normalize the water level in Angat Dam)," Espinueva said. She added that at least two to three "moderate storms" are needed to bring water in the dams to normal level.
Storm Signals As of Tuesday afternoon, Storm Signal Number 3 remains hoisted over Aurora, Northern Quezon, including Polilio Island, and Camarines Norte. Warning in Catanduanes, which was earlier under Signal No. 3, has already been downgraded to Signal No. 2, along with: - Isabela - Nueva Viscaya - Nueva Ecija - Quirino - Bulacan - Rizal - Laguna - Southern Quezon - Marinduque - Camarines Sur - Catanduanes Areas under Signal 1 were: - Cagayan - Kalinga - Mt. Province - Ilocos sur - La Union - Benguet - Ifugao - Pangasinan - Tarlac - Zambales - Pampanga - Bataan - Cavite - Batangas - Albay - Metro Manila Basyang has earlier triggered the cancellation of afternoon classes in the pre-school and elementary levels in both public and private schools. Over 400 sea travelers had likewise been stranded in major ports in the Bicol region after sea travel ban in the area has been enforced. At least 11 flights at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) were canceled, while some 29 other flights were diverted to the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in Pampanga. As of posting, most of the diverted flights had already been able to return to Manila. Disaster preparedness The Office of Civil Defense on Tuesday said they are better prepared to address typhoons that are anticipated to hit the country this year. “(We are) very much prepared now as compared to before Ondoy. That was a fortuitous event that we never imaged to happened….We were caught unaware but now, we are better prepared," retired Maj. Gen. Benito Ramos, OCD administrator, told reporters at a separate press briefing. Ramos said experiences from Ondoy and Pepeng, a destructive storm that hit central Luzon shortly after Ondoy, had taught his agency to pre-position relief goods to areas likely to be affected. “We stockpiled (relief goods) these long before as a result of lessons learned (from last year’s typhoons)…We assure that we are very ready. Let us just pray that we are not going to test our capability that we learned from the typhoons. Rest assured that we are better prepared now," he said. Ramos also assured that evacuation centers in affected areas have already been prepared for Basyang's arrival. Basyang is the second tropical cyclone to visit the country, which is hit by between 20 to 22 cyclones each year, according to PAGASA. - KBK, GMANews.TV