Goring seen to leave PAR Wednesday night to Thursday morning

Super Typhoon Goring has maintained its intensity and strength as it moved west-northwestward at 15 kph near the northwestern boundary of the Philippine Area of Responsibility.

Goring was last seen 185 kilometers west of Itbayat, Batanes with maximum sustained winds of 195 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 240 kph.

The following areas remain under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1:

•  Batanes
• Babuyan Islands
• Ilocos Norte
• Northern portion of Apayao (Luna, Santa Marcela, Calanasan)
• The northwestern portion of Cagayan (Pamplona, Claveria, Ballesteros, Abulug, Sanchez-Mira, Santa Praxedes)

The said areas will be experiencing winds of 39 to 61 kph or intermittent rains within the next 36 hours.

Heavy rainfall is forecast from Wednesday to Thursday afternoon in the following areas:

• 100 to 200 mm rainfall: Batanes, Babuyan Islands, Ilocos Norte, the northern portion of Apayao, and the extreme northwestern portion of mainland Cagayan
• 50 to 100 mm rainfall: Ilocos Sur, Abra, the northwestern portion of mainland Cagayan, and the rest of Apayao

The enhanced Southwest Monsoon is also predicted to bring occasional rains over the western portions of Luzon and Visayas over the next three days and gusty conditions over the following areas without wind signals:

• Wednesday: Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Zambales, Bataan, Bulacan, Aurora, Metro Manila, CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, Bicol Region, and Western Visayas
• Thursday and Friday: Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Zambales, Bataan, Bulacan, Pampanga, Aurora, Metro Manila, CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, Bicol Region, and Western Visayas

The low-lying and exposed coastal areas of Batanes, as well as the northern and western portions of Babuyan Islands, have been warned of a moderate to high risk of storm surge while most seaboards of Luzon, Visayas, and the eastern seaboard of Mindanao have a Gale Warning in effect.

Goring is forecast to leave the Philippine Area of Responsibility between Wednesday night to Thursday morning, where it will continue to move in a west-northwestward path toward China.

Goring impact

According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council in its report on Wednesday, one person has been reported missing in Western Visayas due to Goring.

The NDRRMC said the information on the reported missing person is still for validation.

A total of 196,926 people or 56,410 families were affected by Goring in 832 barangays in Ilocos, Cagayan, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Western Visayas, and Cordillera.

Of the affected population, the NDRRMC said 35,095 persons or 9,608 families were staying inside 376 evacuation centers while 13,902 people or 3,407 families were taking shelter in other places.

The NDRRMC said 134 houses were reported damaged — 82 partially and 52 totally.

Damage to infrastructure worth P41,175,000 was reported in Cagayan, Mimaropa, Western Visayas, and Cordillera.

The NDRRMC monitored 193 flooding incidents, 12 landslides, three tornadoes or strong winds, two fallen trees, a maritime incident, a vehicular accident, a soil erosion, and an uprooted tree amid Goring.

A total of 54 road sections and 28 bridges became impassable, the NDRRMC said in its report.

Power interruptions were experienced in 44 cities and municipalities in Ilocos, Cagayan, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Western Visayas, and Cordillera. The electricity supply in 38 of those areas have been restored.

Water supply problems were also encountered in two areas in Calabarzon and Western Visayas.

Six domestic flights were canceled in Cagayan.

As 67 seaports in Cagayan, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, and Western Visayas suspended their operations due to Goring, 60 passengers, 10 vessels, and four motorbancas were stranded.

A total of 169 classes and 42 work schedules were also suspended.

Assistance worth P7,844,038 was given to the victims of Goring so far, according to the NDRRMC.

Meanwhile, some of the evacuees have started returning to their homes on Wednesday, Cagayan Vice Governor Melvin Vargas said in a televised public briefing.

The damage to houses and agriculture was estimated at around P100 million, according to Vargas.

Landslides were reported in the province, he added. —NB, GMA Integrated News