Signal No. 2 lifted but Signal No. 1 still up in 7 areas due to Bising

Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 was raised over seven areas of Luzon as Typhoon Bising slowed down while maintaining its strength and moving northwestward east of Cagayan, PAGASA said Wednesday.

In its 11 a.m. bulletin, PAGASA said TCWS no. 1 was hoisted over the following areas:

• Batanes
• Cagayan including Babuyan Islands
• the eastern portion of Apayao (Luna, Santa Marcela, Flora, Pudtol)
• the eastern portion of Kalinga (Pinukpuk, Rizal)
• the eastern portion of Isabela (Ilagan, San Mariano, Palanan, Divilacan, Maconacon, San Pablo, Cabagan, Tumauini, Santa Maria, Delfin Albano, Santo Tomas, Quezon, Quirino, Gamu, Naguilian, Benito Soliven, Reina Mercedes, Mallig, Burgos, Roxas, Cauayan City, Luna, San Manuel, Cabatuan, Aurora, Dinapigue, San Mateo, Alicia, Angadanan, San Guillermo, Echague, Jones, San Agustin, San Isidro)
• the northeastern portion of Quirino (Maddela)
• the northern portion of Aurora (Casiguran, Dilasag)

PAGASA said tropical cyclone winds of at least strong breeze to near gale in strength are expected to extend outward up to 370 km from the center of Bising.

Further, the northeasterly wind flow enhanced by the typhoon will bring strong breeze to near gale conditions with higher gusts over the coastal and mountainous areas of Northern Luzon that are not under any TCWS in the next 24 hours.

Hazards on coastal waters

Following the influence of Typhoon Bising and an enhanced northeasterly wind flow, rough to high seas will be experienced over the northern and eastern seaboards of Luzon (2.5 to 9.0 m) in the next 24 hours. Sea travel will be risky for all types of seacrafts over the said waters.

Further, PAGASA said there will be rough to very rough seas over the western seaboards of Northern Luzon (2.8 to 4.5 m) and the northern and eastern seaboards of Northern Samar (2.5 to 4.5 m).

Sea travel will be risky for small seacrafts over the waters, and mariners without the proper experience should immediately seek safe harbor.

Finally, moderate to rough seas will be over the western seaboard of Central Luzon, the remaining eastern seaboard of Eastern Visayas, and the eastern seaboard of Mindanao (1.5 to 3.0 m).

Mariners of small seacrafts are advised not to venture out over the said waters, while inexperienced mariners of these vessels should avoid navigating in these conditions.

Track, intensity outlook

Based on the forecast track, Typhoon Bising will move generally northward or north northwestward until Wednesday night or Thursday early morning, when the typhoon will be nearest to the landmass of Northern Luzon.

Afterwards, the typhoon will move northeastward away from the landmass throughout Thursday and east northeastward on Friday and Saturday.

PAGASA said Typhoon Bising is forecast to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Saturday evening or Sunday morning.

Bising is expected to gradually weaken throughout the remainder of the forecast period, and will likely be downgraded to severe tropical storm category by Saturday and tropical storm category by Sunday.

At 10 a.m. on Wednesday, the center of the eye of Typhoon Bising was located based on all available data at 360 km east of Tuguegarao City, Cagayan.

It is moving northwestward at 10 km/h with maximum sustained winds of 175 km/h near the center and gustiness of up to 215 km/h.

Dead, missing, displaced, damage

In a report update, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said three people were reported dead while one remains missing due to Bising.

Two were killed in Cebu due to tree falling incidents, and in Southern Leyte, a male senior citizen died from falling debris.

A total of 229,829 people or 59,098 were affected by Typhoon Bising in Bicol, Eastern Visayas, and Caraga regions.

Of the number, 15,813 people or 3,848 families were staying in evacuation centers, while 21,648 people or 5,535 families were taking temporary shelters in the homes of their friends and relatives.

A total of 1,022 houses were damaged -- 84 totally and 938 partially -- in Bicol, Eastern Visayas, and Caraga regions.

Typhon Bising also damaged some infrastructures estimated at P10.5 million in Bicol and Easter Visayas , the NDRRMC said.

Nearly P46 million worth of damage to agriculture was reported in Bicol and Eastern Visayas.

At least 68 flooding, fire, sinking, and fallen debris incidents were reported in Bicol, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, and Davao regions.  —Jamil Santos/KBK/LBG, GMA News