PAGASA to issue hourly storm updates

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services (PAGASA), under its new chief, will now be issuing hourly updates once an area has been declared under Storm Signal No. 1, Malacañang said Friday. Ricky Carandang, head of the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning (PCDSP), said President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III was informed on Thursday about this new standard operating procedure of the state weather bureau. Aquino met on Thursday with Secretary Mario Montejo of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the government organization under which PAGASA belongs. Aquino sacked Prisco Nilo as PAGASA chief and replaced him with an officer-in-charge, DOST Undersecretary Graciano Yumul, early this month. Nilo's firing came three weeks after Aquino reprimanded Nilo because PAGASA failed to predict that tropical cyclone “Basyang" (Conson) would ravage Metro Manila. "The main concern during the last large storm was the public was not given information in a timely manner, and that was the immediate concern of President Aquino," said Carandang. PAGASA under Nilo issued weather bulletins every six hours. "Whereas before we would get updates every few hours or so, what we want to do now, we'll put in place certain protocols, every hour there would be a report from PAGASA on the progress ofthe storm," said Carandang. "Gagawin nila yan kapag umabot ng Signal number 1, you can expect hourly updates." Carandang said the state weather bureau will also do "regular reporting" of the cyclone's movement if it causes strong rains or winds even if no area has been placed under Signal No. 1. He added that three more Doppler radars will be installed before the end of the year. PAGASA only has four radars installed at present. A Doppler radar, which detects cyclone intensity and movement, is a key tool to weather forecasting. –VVP, GMANews.TV