Portions of Palawan under Signal No. 3 as Odette makes 9th landfall

Portions of Palawan were under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) No. 3 as Typhoon Odette made its ninth landfall in the province, state weather bureau PAGASA said on Friday afternoon.

Interviewed on Super Radyo dzBB, PAGASA forecaster Benny Espareja said Odette made its latest landfall in Roxas, Palawan. 

JUST IN: Bagyong #OdettePH, nag-landfall sa ika-siyam na pagkakataon sa Roxas, Palawan, ayon sa @dost_pagasa pic.twitter.com/flhyCr6xnt

— DZBB Super Radyo (@dzbb) December 17, 2021

Based on PAGASA’s 2 p.m. weather bulletin, the center of Odette was spotted at 130 kilometers southwest of Cuyo, Palawan or 155 km East Northeast of Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.

It has sustained maximum winds of 155 kilometers per hour near the center, and gustiness of up to 215 kph, and was moving westward at 25 kph.

PAGASA said TCWS No. 3 was raised over the following areas:

• the northern portion of Palawan (El Nido, Taytay, Araceli, Dumaran, Roxas, San Vicente, Puerto Princesa City) including     Cagayancillo and Cuyo Islands

Meanwhile, TCWS No. 2 was hoisted over the following areas:

• the southern portion of Oriental Mindoro (Bulalacao, Mansalay, Roxas)
• the southern portion of Occidental Mindoro (Calintaan, Rizal, San Jose, Magsaysay)
• the central portion of Palawan (Narra, Sofronio Española, Quezon, Aborlan, Rizal, Brooke's Point)
• Kalayaan
• Calamian
• the southwestern portion of Negros Occidental (Cauayan, Candoni, Ilog, Hinoba-An, City of Sipalay), Antique
• the northwestern and western portions of Aklan (Malinao, Madalag, Libacao, Buruanga)
• southwestern portion of Capiz (Jamindan, Tapaz)
• the central and southern portions of Iloilo (Bingawan, Calinog, Dueñas, Lambunao, Badiangan, Janiuay, Cabatuan, Mina, New Lucena, Maasin, Alimodian, Leon, Zarraga, Pototan, Santa Barbara, Leganes, Iloilo City, Pavia, Oton, San Miguel, Tigbauan, Igbaras, Tubungan, Guimbal, Miagao, San Joaquin)
• Guimaras

Under TCWS No. 1 are:

• Batangas
• the southeastern portion of Quezon (San Francisco, San Andres, San Narciso, Mulanay, Catanauan)
• Marinduque
• Masbate (Esperanza, Mandaon, Palanas, Baleno, Placer, Cawayan, Milagros, Dimasalang, Uson, Cataingan, Pio V. Corpuz, Balud, City of Masbate, Aroroy, Mobo)
• Romblon
• the western portion of Bohol (Getafe, Talibon, Trinidad, Bien Unido, San Miguel, Dagohoy, Carmen, Dimiao, Danao, Buenavista, Inabanga, Sagbayan, Clarin, Catigbian, Batuan, Bilar, Lila, Loay, Loboc, Sevilla, Tubigon, Balilihan, San Isidro, Calape, Loon, Antequera, Maribojoc, Cortes, Corella, Sikatuna, Alburquerque, Baclayon, Tagbilaran City, Dauis, Panglao)
• Siquijor
• Cebu
• Bantayan Islands
• the rest of Negros Occidental
• Negros Oriental
•  the rest of Capiz
• the rest of Iloilo
• the rest of Aklan
• Mindanao
• the northern portion of Zamboanga del Norte (Baliguian, Gutalac, Kalawit, Labason, Liloy, Tampilisan, Salug, Godod, Bacungan, Sindangan, Siayan, Jose Dalman, Manukan, Pres. Manuel A. Roxas, Katipunan, Sergio Osmeña Sr., Dipolog City, Polanco, Piñan, Mutia, Dapitan City, La Libertad, Sibutad, Rizal)
• the northern portion of Misamis Occidental (Don Victoriano Chiongbian, Aloran, Oroquieta City, Lopez Jaena, Concepcion, Sapang Dalaga, Calamba, Baliangao, Plaridel)

3 reportedly dead

Based on the consolidated report of the Philippine National Police, two people died and three others were injured in Northern Mindanao due to Odette. Iloilo City Public Safety and Transportation Management Office’s Jet Konlu said a 54-year-old woman was reported dead in their area on Thursday evening.

“Kagabi, mayroon tayong isang casualty. Ito po 54 years old, babae. Ito ay natamaan ng kawayan sa tabi ng kanilang bahay during ng onslaught ng bagyong Odette,” Konlu told Dobol B TV.

(Last night, we had one casualty. She was a 54-year-old woman. She was hit by a bamboo beside their home during the onslaught of Typhoon Odette.)

Odette (international name: Rai) uprooted trees, toppled power lines and flooded villages as it barrelled across Visayas and Mindanao on Thursday night to Friday morning, leaving at least one person dead and knocking out communications in some areas and tearing roofs off buildings.

Scores of flights were canceled across the country and dozens of ports temporarily closed as the weather bureau warned several-metre-high storm surges could cause "life-threatening flooding" in low-lying coastal areas.

"The devastation is hard to explain," said Joel Darunday, 37, a tour operator in the central island province of Bohol, who was hunkered down at home with his family when the storm ripped off the roof.

"It was very strong. The last time I experienced something like this was back in the 1980s." 

Rainfall warning

In its update, PAGASA said heavy to torrential rains will be experience on Friday over Western Visayas, Palawan including Calamian, Cuyo, and Cagayancillo Islands, and Negros Oriental.

Moderate to heavy with at times intense rains, meanwhile, will be experienced over the Bicol Region, Zamboanga Peninsula, Quezon, and the rest of MIMAROPA, while light to moderate with at times heavy rains are expected in Cagayan Valley, the rest of CALABARZON, Cordillera Administrative Region, Aurora, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, Lanao del Sur, and the rest of Visayas.

The weather bureau said the typhoon is forecast to make landfall in the vicinity of northern or central portion of Palawan on Friday afternoon, re-emerge over the West Philippine Sea in the evening, and pass in the vicinity of Kalayaan Islands on Saturday.

Odette is expected to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Saturday morning or early afternoon.  — with Agence France-Presse/KBK, GMA News