TS Falcon maintains strength, course; 13 areas under storm signals

Tropical Storm Falcon maintained its strength as it continued to approach northern Luzon on Tuesday night, PAGASA reported in an 8 p.m. weather bulletin.

Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 2 was raised over the Batanes, and the northeastern portion of Cagayan province, including the Babuyan Group of Islands.

Signal No. 1 was meanwhile up over:

•     the rest of Cagayan
•     Ilocos Norte
•     Abra
•     Apayao
•     Kalinga
•     Isabela
•     Mountain Province
•     Ifugao
•     northern portion of Aurora
•     northern portion of Nueva Vizcaya, and
•     northern portion of Quirino

At 7 p.m., Falcon was 250 kilometers east-southeast of Tuguegarao City, Cagayan.

The tropical storm had maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometer per hour near the center, and gusts of up to 80 kph.

Falcon was moving west at 30 kph, and was expected to make landfall over the Babuyan-Batanes area Wednesday afternoon or evening.

The storm was predicted to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility by Friday morning.

Moderate to heavy rain could be expected over the Ilocos, Cordillera Administrative, and the Cagayan Valley Regions; and over Nueva Ecija, Aurora, Zambales, Occidental Mindoro, northern Palawan including Calamian and Cuyo Islands, Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Iloilo, and Guimaras.

Inclement conditions over these areas were likely to prevail until Wednesday evening.

Metro Manila, Calabarzon, the Bicol Region, and the rest of the Visayas, Central Luzon, and Mimaropa Region would also experience light to moderate with at times heavy rain.

PAGASA advised residents in these areas to take precautions against possible flash floods and landslides.

PAGASA also warned that sea travel was risky in areas under any storm signal, and over the eastern seaboards of Central Luzon, the seaboards of Southern Luzon, and the eastern and western seaboards of the Visayas.

Meanwhile, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) had placed itself under a Blue Alert status on Monday to preparation for the effects of Falcon.

According to the NDRRMC's 6 p.m. situational report, local authorities were continuously monitoring their areas of responsibility and were positioned for disaster response.

Food and non-food relief resources from the Department of Social Welfare and Development amounting to around P793 million were also prepositioned, as well as standby funds worth over P1 billion. — Dona Magsino/DVM, GMA News