Typhoon Karding exits PAR

Typhoon Karding left the Philippine Area of Responsibility at 8 p.m. on Monday, PAGASA said.

“The final bulletin for this tropical cyclone will be issued at 11:00 PM tonight,” the state weather bureau said.

On Sunday, Karding made landfall over the vicinity of Burdeos, Quezon at 5:30 p.m. It made its second landfall in the vicinity of Dingalan, Aurora at 8:20 p.m.

In its 11 p.m. severe weather bulletin, PAGASA said Karding was spotted 585 km west of Dagupan City, Pangasinan with maximum sustained winds of 140 km/h near the center, gustiness of up to 170 km/h, and central pressure of 970 hPa.

At present, it is moving westward at 20 km/h.

It also has strong to typhoon-force winds that extend outwards up to 260 km from the center.

“Typhoon Karding left the PAR region at 8 p.m. today. Karding will continue moving its westward track towards Vietnam. This tropical cyclone will further intensify throughout the forecast period,” PAGASA said.

Rainfall, winds, coastal waters

In the next 24 hours, PAGASA said that occasional to monsoon rains are still possible over the western sections of Central Luzon, Southern Luzon and Visayas.

Moreover, occasional gusts reaching strong breeze to near gale strength are also possible until tomorrow evening over the western sections of Luzon and Visayas due to Southwest Monsoon (Habagat) partly influenced by Karding.

Moderate to rough seas (1.5 to 4.0 m) may prevail over the western seaboards of the country under the influence of Karding and the enhanced Habagat.

PAGASA said that such conditions may be risky for those using small seacrafts.

Mariners are advised to take precautionary measures when venturing out to sea and, if possible, avoid navigating in these conditions, it added

Path of destruction

With torrential rains and wind gusts, Karding was first categorized as super typhoon placing several areas in Luzon under Signal No. 5 and leaving a trail of destruction in Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Tarlac, Pampanga and Zambales in its wake.

A few hours after it started traversing Luzon, the Pampanga River in Candaba rose rapidly, submerging several hectares of rice fields in floodwaters.

GMA Regional TV One North Central Luzon’s Jasmin Gabriel Galban reported Monday on “24 Oras” that strong floodwater currents damaged at least six dikes.

The damaged dikes were in Mapaniqui, Barangca, Visalstonino, Visalto Cristo, Pulonggubat, and San Pablo.

Meanwhile, the damage to agriculture in Tarlac was severe.

Strong winds destroyed several hectares of rice farms that were due to be harvested over the weekend.

In Barangay San Manuel, farmers tried to harvest their rice crops, but were unsuccessful due to lack of available harvesters.

According to the provincial government of Tarlac, only 30% of the rice farms in the province had harvested their crops.

Based on initial estimates of the Department of Agriculture (DA), the damage and losses to agriculture caused by Karding were placed at P141.38 million.

The DA said the initial assessment covers 16,229 hectares of land in the Cordillera Administrative Region, the Ilocos Region, Central Luzon, and Calabarzon, as of 12 noon on Monday, September 26.

This translates to a volume of production loss of 5,866 metric tons (MT) of commodities such as rice, corn, and high value crops, affecting 740 farmers.

At least 6 dead

San Miguel, Bulacan Mayor Roderick Tiongson earlier reported that five rescuers were killed in a flash flood in Barangay Camias on Sunday evening.

According to Bulacan Governor Daniel Fernando, the rescuers used a boat after their truck broke down on their way to their mission. Due to a flash flood, a wall collapsed and hit them.

Meanwhile, a resident in Cabangan, Zambales was swept away by floodwaters and died after an earth dike gave way at the height of Karding.

In Jun Veneracion’s Monday report on “24 Oras,” Cabangan Mayor Ronald Apostol said the victim was trying to save a farm animal but was overwhelmed by the flood.

Further, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) earlier said that it is verifying reports that six fishermen have gone missing in Camarines Norte.

78,000 people displaced

Earlier in the day, NDRRMC reported that a total of 78,907 people or 20,400 families were evacuated ahead of the typhoon.

NDRRMC deputy spokesperson Raffy Alejandro said that at least 84 barangays were affected by the typhoon in Ilocos, Cagayan, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol Region, National Capital Region, and Cordillera.

Power interruptions were reported in two municipalities in Quezon and four municipalities in Camarines Norte, according to Alejandro.

Communications issues were also experienced in a town in Quezon.

A total of 39 domestic flights were canceled due to Karding.

Alejandro said 32 seaports in Calabarzon, Mimaropa, and Bicol have suspended trips and 2,338 passengers were stranded.

State of calamity

The province of Nueva Ecija on Monday declared a state of calamity due to the devastation of Karding.

In Resolution No. 82-S-2022, the Office of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan said the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council recommended raising the state of calamity in consideration of the “huge damage and destruction” sustained by the province brought about by the strong typhoon.

Heavy flooding hit Nueva Ecija and other provinces after Karding hit Luzon over the weekend. Power supply in the area was also cut while at least two roads were made impassable.—LDF, GMA News