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Seven people have been killed and tens of thousands evacuated their
homes as Typhoon “Mina” approaches eastern Philippines,
officials said Sunday.
Meanwhile, another typhoon is set to enter the
Philippine area of responsibility, and “Lando,” a typhoon that
lashed the country before Mina, is veering back into the country,
forecasters said Sunday.
The country remained on full alert in
anticipation of Mina as it headed toward northern Luzon. The typhoon
is expected to make landfall Sunday night.
Mina had spared Bicol and moved further in a
northwest direction Saturday toward Aurora and Isabela provinces
Saturday night.
The storm had weakened but was still packing
maximum sustained winds of 160 kilometers per hour, with gusts of
195 kilometers per hour as of Sunday.
Typhoon ‘Nonoy’
Another weather disturbance is threatening the
Philippines, according to reports aired on dzMM radio Sunday. Dr.
Prisco Nilo, director of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and
Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), said the new weather
disturbance has been named “Nonoy” and is expected to reach the
Philippine area of responsibility in three to four days.
Nilo said Nonoy might join with Typhoon Lando
(international codename Hagibis) before it exits via the Philippine
Sea toward Japan.
He added that Lando is expected to bring
rainfall over Western Visayas, Palawan, southern Panay, northern
Negros island, northern Cebu, central Leyte, Mindoro, Aklan and
Romblon.
Back to Mina
The National Disaster Coordinating Council,
which coordinates antidisaster efforts by several government
agencies, said on Saturday some 100,000 people in the northeastern
part of the country would be evacuated.
The council also said floods caused by heavy
rains in some parts of the country had affected some 28,000 people
in southern Luzon and Palawan.
The civil defense office in Manila said at least
298,000 people had evacuated their homes in six southern provinces
to avoid flash floods, landslides or volcanic mudslides that could
be triggered by Mina.
Six people drowned and one was electrocuted by a
fallen power line in the provinces of Camarines Sur and Camarines
Norte, where the initial effects of Mina are being felt, the
regional disaster office reported.
Governor Joey Sarte Salceda of Albay and
Governor Joseph Cua of Catanduanes have declared a state of calamity
in their respective provinces.
Earlier, President Gloria Arroyo ordered a
“pre-emptive evacuation” in vulnerable areas to avoid a repeat
of the disaster last year when typhoon Durian struck the Bicol
peninsula, killing about 1,200 people and leaving 200,000 homeless.
Some people there were already returning home on
Sunday because the typhoon had changed course, said a civil defense
office director.
Metro Manila and environs
Metro Manila is also readying itself for Mina
and new storm Nonoy.
In Makati City, Mayor Jejomar Binay forbade
rescue teams from taking a leave during the weekend, while rescue
teams and equipment remained stationed at Manila Bay facing downtown
Manila.
Rizal Police Chief Supt. Ireneo Dordas said they
will be monitoring Antipolo, San Mateo and Pililia, where a
landslide occurred.
Gov. Casimiro Ynares 3rd of Rizal has ordered
evacuations in the mountainous towns of San Mateo and Pililia, and
activated the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council to monitor
the communities near the mountains.
Earlier, Mayor Benhur Abalos of Mandaluyong City
said he had ordered the removal of billboards along EDSA since
Wednesday. City workers, he said, have been dredging and cleaning
the ditches in the flood-prone areas like the stretch of EDSA near
Ortigas and Maysilo Circle.
In Pasig City, Mayor Robert Eusebio said they
have identified schools that will serve as evacuation areas, if
needed. Rescue and engineering teams were also on stand-by during
the whole weekend in the three cities.
Power alert
The state-grid National Transmission Corp. (TransCo)
has put its personnel and facilities under high alert in preparation
for the onslaught of Mina. It has pre-positioned all its
transmission line crews and power restoration equipment in strategic
areas in eastern Luzon.
Arthur N. Aguilar, TransCo president and CEO,
said officials and personnel in substations, telecommunications
facilities, and area control centers as well as security and
aviation crews will all be on standby to be able to immediately
conduct necessary power restoration activities.
TransCo has also coordinated with electric
cooperatives to hasten possible electricity restoration works.
TransCo’s area control centers nationwide are
also prepared to undertake immediate “islanding operations” or
power restoration activities independent of each other.
TransCo will also reroute power flow using its
transmission lines to maximize the operation of power plants located
in unaffected areas and reduce possibility of outages arising from
typhoon-damaged power facilities.
The Manila Electric Co. said in a statement that
it has put in place necessary measures to mitigate the potential
effects of Mina.
--With reports from Francis Earl A. Cueto, Manny T. Ugalde,
Euan Paulo C. Añonuevo,
AFP and Xinhua
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