‘Lawin’ strands thousands in Northern Samar
-A A +ASunday, September 23, 2012
CEBU CITY (Updated 6:50 p.m.) -- Almost 2,000 passengers bound for Luzon have been stranded in Northern Samar due to Typhoon Lawin (international codename: Jelawat), which further intensified Sunday while moving north northwest of the country.
Northern Samar and two other provinces in Samar Island were placed under public storm warning signal number 1 after Lawin intensified into a typhoon Sunday morning.
The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Eastern Visayas reported that 1,413 passengers of about 96 buses and trucks are now in Allen, a town Northern Samar. They were all bound for Luzon but they were not allowed to travel due to the bad weather.
The OCD and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council are reportedly monitoring the situation in Northern Samar, as well as in Bicol and nearby areas.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), for its part, reported that Lawin, as of 4 p.m. Sunday, was located at 390 kilometers east of Catarman, Northern Samar.
The typhoon is packing winds of 140 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gusts of up to 170 kilometers per hour while moving north northwest at 7 kph, said the weather bureau.
Pagasa warned residents living in low lying and mountainous areas in Samar provinces against possible flashfloods and landslides.
It said that Lawin will bring estimated rainfall amount of 10-20 millimeters per hour under its 600 kilometers diameter.
Pagasa also warned the public against the effects of southwest monsoon, which was enhanced by the typhoon, adding moderate to heavy rains will be experienced in Western Visayas and Mindanao.
Fishing boats and other small seacrafts are advised not to venture out into the eastern seaboard of Southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao due to big waves generated by the typhoon.
Lawin is expected to be at 290 kilometers east of Virac, Catanduanes by Monday afternoon; 310 kilometers northeast of Virac by Tuesday afternoon; and 350 kilometers east of Tuguegarao City by Wednesday afternoon.
It may make a landfall in Batanes before going out of the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Thursday or Friday on its way to Taiwan, weather forecasters said earlier. (Sunnex)
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