Typhoon ‘Nona’ aims for Samar, Bicol
TYPHOON “Nona” (international name: Melor) peaked in strength on the eve of its making landfall in Samar and the Bicol provinces on Monday, with winds near the center reaching 140 kilometers per hour and gusts up to 170 kph.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) yesterday placed six provinces in the direct path of the typhoon under public storm warning Signal No. 2.
These are Catanduanes, Albay, Sorsogon, including Ticao island, Northern Samar, Eastern Samar and Samar.
Twelve surrounding provinces —six in Luzon, four in the Visayas and two in Mindanao—were placed under warning Signal No. 1.
These were Quezon, Marinduque, Romblon, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Masbate, including Burias Island, Biliran, Leyte, Southern Leyte and northern Cebu, including Camotes island, Dinagat and Siargao island.
Pagasa said it may shortly raise warning Signal No. 1 over the rest of Southern Luzon, Aklan, Capiz and Metro Manila, which will be affected by the typhoon’s outer cloud band although they are not in the path of its eye.
“The typhoon will be at its strongest on Monday or Tuesday,” Pagasa forecaster Robert Badrina said.
The typhoon, moving westward at 19 kph, carries moderate to heavy rains within its 300-km diameter, according to Pagasa.
He said the typhoon would possibly make landfall in Northern Samar on Monday morning and continue to cut westward across the Samar and Bicol provinces until Wednesday.
The typhoon will start to weaken after hitting land but is expected to remain a storm until it exits the landmass from Mindoro province on Wednesday or Thursday if it maintains its current track.
In the next two days after hitting land, it will start to weaken but will remain powerful as it cuts westward.
“It will make landfall Monday morning or noon,” Badrina said.
Pagasa renamed the Typhoon Nona from “Nonoy” at the last minute early Saturday after the cyclone reached the country.
Pagasa senior weather officer Rene Paciente was quoted as saying Science Secretary Mario Montejo ordered the change of name since Nonoy sounded like the President’s nickname, Noynoy.
Albay Gov. Joey Salceda on Sunday afternoon called his constituents to be ready after Nona intensified from a tropical storm to a typhoon in a matter of hours and changed course and will now directly hit Albay province before it makes landfall in Sorsogon instead of Samar by Monday.
Bernardo Alejandro, Office of Civil Defense (OCD) regional director in Bicol, said the typhoon was tracked moving toward Bicol and was project- ed to make landfall in Sorsogon by Monday.
OCD warned of strong storm surges along Bicol’s eastern seaboard affecting the coastal towns of Catanduanes, Albay and Sorsogon.
The weather bureau said the typhoon would be about 10 km north of Catarman, Northern Samar, by Monday afternoon; 50 km east of Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro by Tuesday afternoon; 140 km west of Calapan City by Wednesday afternoon; and 220 km west of Calapan City by Thursday morning; and 440 km west of Puerto Princesa City, Palawan and out of the Philippine area of responsibility by Friday morning.
Salceda has ordered classes in all levels in Albay suspended and directed maritime authorities to enforce the “no sailing policy.”
The Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Managment Counci (RDRRMC), chaired by Alejandro, said classes in all levels were also suspended in Camarines Sur while the Philippince Coast Guard has issued a “no sail” policy in various ports across Bicol.
In Camarines Sur, Gov. Miguel Luis Villafuerte suspended classes in all levels to prepare for the coming of Nona, which is expected to pass through Camarines Sur at 2 a.m. on Tuesday.