‘Mangkhut’ continues to gather strength, may enter PH today
Typhoon “Mangkhut,” which will be locally named “Ompong” upon entering the country, continues to gather strength while moving closer to the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR), threatening to bring heavy rains over Northern Luzon.
In the 6 p.m. weather fore-
cast of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the eye of Mangkhut was located already at 1,650 kilometers east of Southern Luzon while slightly moving faster westward at 30 kilometers per hour (kph).
It has further intensified and now packs maximum sustained winds of up to 185 kph and gustiness of up to 225 kph.
PAGASA weather specialist Aldzcar Aurelio said that the typhoon will enter the boundary line of PAR Wednesday afternoon and will be referred to as Ompong – the country’s 15th tropical cyclone for the year.
The typhoon is threatening Northern Luzon and may traverse the Cagayan-Batanes area on Saturday while moving northwest toward Taiwan.
Aurelio added that the effect of Mangkhut will be felt in Northern and Central Luzon by Friday afternoon, but tropical cyclone warning signal No. 1 may be raised in the area as early as Wednesday evening.
Widespread moderate to heavy rains due to the typhoon is possible by Friday, September 14, over Northern Luzon, especially over the provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, Apayao, Kalinga, Abra, Ilocos Norte, and Batanes, PAGASA said.
The bureau also said that the typhoon may strengthen the “habagat” or southwest monsoon which will bring scattered light to moderate rains and thunderstorms over the Zamboanga Peninsula, Western Visayas, and Palawan starting Thursday, September 13.
The state weather bureau reiterated that Mangkhut is not a super typhoon yet until it develops maximum sustained winds of 220 kph near the center.
As of now, PAGASA is not yet predicting Mangkhut to be a super typhoon but it’s expected that its maximum sustained winds may reach 210 kph.
14-B damage to agri sector The Department of Agriculture (DA) has already drawn every worstcase scenario that Ompong could incur to the agriculture sector. As a start, its forecast damage now stands nearly P14 billion.
In what could be an unusual scenario for the DA, the agency came up on Tuesday with a detailed computation of how much damage it is expecting Ompong to cause the farm sector, which is yet to fully recover from typhoons that hit the country in July.
"An estimated 1.2 million hectares of farms planted to rice and corn which are about to be harvested may be affected if Typhoon Ompong continues on its course and slams into Northern Luzon by Thursday or Friday," Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said.
In total, the field operations office of the DA, headed by Christopher Morales, projected that in a worst case scenario damage to rice crops could be around P7.3 billion while the damage to corn could be around P6.2 billion.
This, as most rice crops, especially in the Cordillera Region, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, are now ready for harvest.
"In a worst case scenario, an estimated 893,000 hectares of rice farms in the four regions will be affected by Typhoon Ompong," Piñol said.
The estimate, which also shows project for “moderate” losses, said rice crop could incur losses worth P3.3 billion if the typhoon will not intensify.
Also in a worst case scenario, an estimated 483,000 hectares of corn fields could be affected with a projected crop loss amounting to P6.2 billion.
The moderate scenario, on the other hand, shows an estimated corn damage amounting to P4.2 billion.
The DA Field Offices in the four regions have already been advised to activate their disaster monitoring offices and operate on a 24-hour basis to monitor the effect of the typhoon, according to Piñol.
Meanwhile, the National Food Authority (NFA) assured the agency has a ready supply of rice for any emergencies and relief operations requirements.
NFA Administrator Jason Aquino said the NFA has at least 750,000 bags stored strategically in its different warehouses in Luzon, including NCR for distribution through accredited retailers and for relief operations during calamities. Nolcom ready for ‘Mangkhut’ The Armed Forces of the Philippines-Northern Luzon Command (AFPNoLCom) said that its forces alongside the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (RDRRMC) and the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) are preparing for the imminent threat Mangkhut may bring to Northern and Central Luzon.
All local DRRMCs were advised to revisit their respective contingency plans, utilize all Early Warning Systems (EWS) such as Short Messaging System (SMS), social media platforms and others to ensure widest dissemination of weather updates and advisories.
The NoLCom also advised the public to suspend other outdoor activities like caving and surfing and to take precautionary measures around areas which are susceptible to floods and landslides and prepare for pre-emptive evacuations for communities at risk.
Maj. Ericson C. Bulosan, acting chief of NoLCom's Public Information Office, said they have alerted all their ground forces (Army, Navy, Air Force including their Reservists) to be on standby and are now in position to perform Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response Operations (HADRO) with their military resources such as Helicopters and Navy vessels which are ready for use if the need arises.
NoLCom chief Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Salamat said they have set warning advisories to be disseminated to all units and LGUs in coordination with regional OCDs as part of their ongoing preparation.
Guam onslaught
Meanwhile, the Philippine Consulate in Guam said it has not received any report of any Filipino in the entire Northern Marianas adversely affected by Mangkhut.
Consul General Marciano de Borja said his office remains in touch with leaders of the 63,000-strong Filipino communities in Guam and the Northern Marianas, as well as with the Guam Office of Civil Defense.
“The Philippine Consulate General in Agana said that so far it has not received any report of any among the 43,000 Filipinos in Guam and the 20,000 in the Northern Marianas being adversely affected by the cyclone,” Borja said in a report to the Home Office in Manila.
Borja said Typhoon Mangkhut almost directly hit the island of Rota in the Northern Marianas, and its southern quadrant affecting the northern part of Guam, including Dededo and Tamuning.
Dededo is the main island’s most populous district with thousands of Filipino residents while Tamuning is where the Consulate General is situated.
He assured that he Consulate stands ready to provide assistance to any affected Filipino national in the area. (With reports from Madelaine B. Miraflor, Francis T. Wakefield, and Roy C. Mabasa)