POWERLESS IN ALBAY Motorists pass by fallen electrical posts as strong winds brought by Typhoon “Ruby” hit Camalig town, Albay province. The typhoon knocked out power, mowed down trees and sent more than 650,000 people into shelters in the province before it weakened on Sunday. Metro Manila will have stormy weather on Monday as Ruby lashes Southern Luzon after whipping the Eastern Visayas and Bicol regions. AP
MANILA, Philippines–Metro Manila will have stormy weather on Monday as Typhoon “Ruby” (international name: Hagupit) lashes Southern Luzon after whipping the Eastern Visayas and Bicol regions over the weekend.
Typhoon “Ruby” (international name: Hagupit) has slightly weakened as it traversed the Sibuyan Sea, now packing maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometers per hour (kph) from 140 kph and gusts of up to 150 kph from 170 kph, the state weather bureau said Monday morning.
Jori Loiz, weather forecaster of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Administration (PAGASA), in its 5 a.m weather bulletin, warned that people should remain vigilant despite Ruby’s weakened intensity.
Loiz said that Metro Manila will feel Ruby’s wrath from 6 to 8 p.m. on Monday.
PAGASA raised Public Storm Signal No. 2 over Metro Manila Sunday, warning of occasional rains and gusty winds of 61-100 kilometers per hour within 24 hours.
Classes are suspended at all levels throughout the metropolis, with school buildings in riverine communities marked for use as evacuation centers in case of flooding.
Pagasa said Metro Manila and surrounding provinces began to feel the effects of Ruby late Sunday.
While Ruby maintained its strength, with winds of up to 140 kilometers per hour, gusts of up to 170 kph, torrential rains and storm surges up to 3 meters high, it also slowed down, crossing the country’s central section and moving toward the West Philippine Sea at just 10 kph.
“The longer the typhoon stays, the more destruction it causes,” Jori Luiz, senior weather forecaster for Pagasa, said.
Ruby moved so slowly that it remained in the vicinity of the island province of Masbate throughout Sunday after making a landfall there at 9 a.m., Pagasa said.
By Monday afternoon, it said the center of the storm would be 70 km east of Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro province, or 160 km west of Quezon City, so Metro Manila and surrounding provinces would have heavy rains and strong winds.
By Tuesday afternoon, Ruby will be farther away from the Luzon landmass, with its eye at 170 km southwest of Quezon City.
Pagasa said Ruby was expected to clear the Philippine area of responsibility on Thursday.
Storm signals up
At 5 p.m. on Sunday, Pagasa raised the highest Public Storm Warning Signal No. 3 over Masbate (including Ticao and Burias Islands), Marinduque, Romblon and Oriental Mindoro, warning these areas of stormy weather with winds of 101-185 kph in the next 18 hours.
The weather bureau also warned residents against flash floods, landslides and storm surges that could reach up to 3 m high.
Pagasa raised Public Storm Signal No. 2 over Batangas, Sorsogon, Albay, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Lubang Island, Quezon, Occidental Mindoro, Camarines Sur and Camarines Norte, Northern Samar, Samar, Biliran, Aklan, Capiz, Northern Cebu including Cebu City, Bantayan Island and Camotes Island.
These places can expect stormy weather with winds of 61 kph to 100 kph in the next 24 hours. Pagasa also warned residents against storm surges that could reach up to 2 m high, flash floods and landslides.
Downgraded from supertyphoon as it roared in from the Pacific Ocean, Ruby made landfall in Eastern Samar on Saturday night.
It smashed into the town of Dolores at 9:15 p.m. with maximum winds of 175 kph and gusts of 210 kph, Pagasa said.
The wind strength at landfall made Ruby the most powerful storm to hit the Philippines this year, exceeding Typhoon “Glenda” (international name: Rammasun), which hit Metro Manila in July and killed 106 people.
Ruby cut across Eastern Visayas at 15 kph, tearing apart homes and sending waves crashing through coastal communities in a region still grappling to recover from devastation caused by Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan) on Nov. 8 last year.
Learning from that tragedy, however, the region had prepared well for Ruby.
Although Ruby destroyed thousands of homes and caused extensive flooding, it left communities unlittered with bodies, unlike Yolanda, which killed 6,300 people and left thousands of others injured or missing in Eastern Visayas. -With reports by Aries Joseph Hegina and Dona Z. Pazzibugan
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.
