‘Bising’ leaves 2 dead

TYPHOON ‘Bising’ weakened after pummeling Bicol and eastern Visayas, leaving two persons dead, the disaster council said.

One of the fatalities, a 47-year-old female, was from Catmon, Cebu, while the other was a man from Saint Bernard, Southern Leyte, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

One person was declared missing in San Jose, Northern Samar. Search and rescue operations were ongoing, the NDRRMC said.

Mark Timbal, NDRRMC spokesman, said all casualties have yet to be “verified” by local authorities and the

Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

He said 41,155 families or 159,978 individuals in Bicol, Eastern Visayas and Caraga regions were evacuated. Many villages were flooded.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) lifted storm signals in Visayas and two Bicol provinces.

However, Signal No. 2 was hoisted over the eastern portion of Cagayan (Santa Ana, Gonzaga, Baggao, Gattaran,

Lal-Lo, Peñablanca, Santa Teresita, Buguey, Camalaniugan and Aparri), the eastern portion of Isabela (San Pablo, Maconacon, Divilacan, Ilagan and Palanan) and Catanduanes.

Weather specialist Meno Mendoza said Signal No. 1 was up in Batanes, the rest of Cagayan including Babuyan Islands, the rest of Isabela, Quirino, Apayao, the eastern portion of Kalinga (Pinukpuk, Rizal and Tabuk City), the eastern portion of Mountain Province (Paracelis and Natonin), the eastern portion of Ifugao (Aguinaldo and Alfonso Lista), the northern portion of Aurora (Baler, Dipaculao, Dinalungan, Casiguran and Dilasag), the eastern portion of Quezon (Calauag, Guinayangan and Tagkawayan) including Polillo Islands, Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur.

At 3 p.m. on Tuesday, the center of ‘Bising’ was located 475 kilometers east of Baler, Aurora.

The typhoon had maximum sustained winds of 175 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 215kph.

“Bising may be downgraded to severe tropical storm by Saturday evening or Sunday as it is projected to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Sunday,”Mendoza said.

Pagasa said Catanduanes will have moderate to heavy rains while light to moderate rains may prevail in the eastern portion of Quezon, Camarines Provinces, Sorsogon, Albay and Northern Samar.

Metro Manila and the rest of the country will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies and isolated rain showers caused by localized thunderstorms.