Truck drivers wash clothes on roadside due to closure of Matnog Port

Many travelers were stranded in Matnog, Sorsogon as the port was closed due to the expected onslaught of Typhoon Odette.

Due to the inclement weather, maritime travel was prohibited, forcing truck drivers to wash their clothes on the highway, according to JP Soriano's report on "24 Oras" on Wednesday.

"Labing-isang araw na kaming stranded at baka dito na rin kami abutan ng bagyo," a truck driver said.

(We've already been stranded for 11 days, and we'll most likely be here when the storm comes.)

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported that a total of 1,606 people, 879 rolling cargoes, 13 vessels, and two motor bancas were stranded in different parts of the country as of Wednesday noon. 

According to its 8 p.m. weather bulletin, PAGASA said the center of Odette was spotted 535 kilometers east of Surigao City or 445 km east of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur.

It has maximum sustained winds of 130 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 160 kph.

Odette is expected to make landfall in the vicinity of Surigao provinces or southern portion of Eastern Visayas on Thursday afternoon. — Ma. Angelica Garcia/VBL, GMA News