Basyang leaves RP, heads for China

As predicted by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), typhoon Basyang has left the Philippine area of responsibility by Thursday morning. The weather forecasters’ last weather bulletin on Basyang (international name Conson) reported that the typhoon was 400 kilometers west-northwest of Dagupan City as of 5:00 a.m. Thursday. In its latest tropical cyclone update, PAGASA says, "As of today, Thursday, 15-Jul-2010 19:12:07 PHT no tropical cyclone existing within the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR)." Before leaving the country, Basyang was moving at a speed of 19 kilometers per hour, packing maximum winds of 85 kph and gustiness of up to 100 kph. The government reported 23 deaths, 59 missing people, and 14 injured individuals. The typhoon reached Philippine land areas Tuesday night and swept through Metro Manila and central Luzon, affecting almost 13,000 families. A large part of Luzon suffered total power failure around dawn on Wednesday as Basyang damaged electric power transmission lines. Power distributor Manila Electric Company (Meralco) says power supply has been restored in about 92 percent of the affected areas. Still, a rotational brownout may be implemented to appropriate properly the limited power supply it is getting from its power generators. –Mark D. Merueñas / VVP, GMANews.TV