Over 13,000 stranded due to storm 'Ofel'
-A A +AThursday, October 25, 2012
MANILA (Updated, 11:33 a.m.) -- More than 13,000 passengers were stranded in various ports of the country due to Tropical Storm "Ofel" (international codename: Son-Tinh), the state disaster agency said Thursday.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said a total of 13,505 passengers were reported stranded from different ports in Metro Manila, Central Visayas, Southern Tagalog, Western and Eastern Visayas, Bicol and Northern Mindanao regions.
The agency added that a total of 85 trucks and cars, 28 passenger buses, 300 rolling cargoes, 127 vessels and 54 motorbancas were also reported stranded in several ports nationwide.
In Manila, about 2,032 passengers were stranded as trips bound to Cebu and Iloilo were cancelled as of Thursday morning.
In Iloilo, Western Visayas Police Director Agrimero Cruz Jr. said in a text message that as of 9 a.m., about 100 passengers and over 100 cargo trucks were stranded at Port Nalu-Oyan in Sapao village in Dumagas town.
Cruz also said 500 passengers bound for Boracay Island were stranded at the Jetty Port of Aklan province, while 100 others heading to Mindoro were stuck in Caticlan.
He added that in Bacolod City, 1000 passengers were also stranded in the city’s Bredco Port.
Cruz said no reported damages or casualties have been monitored so far.
As of 10 a.m., Ofel was located 40 kilometers west of Mamburao, Occidental Mindoro, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).
Pagasa added that Ofel has crossed the southern part of Mindoro Island and is now moving towards the West Philippine Sea.
Ofel is packed with maximum sustained winds of 75 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 90 kph. It is forecast to move West Northwest at 22 kph.
Public storm warning signal number 2 (61-100 kph winds) remains in Batangas, Lubang Island, Marinduque, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro and Romblon.
Placed under public storm warning signal number 1 (winds of 30-60 kph) are Metro Manila, Bataan, Southern Quezon, Burias Island and Masbate, Aklan, Capiz, Iloilo and Calamian Group of Islands.
Residents living in low lying and mountainous areas under public storm warning signal numbers 2 and 1 are alerted against possible flashfloods and landslides, likewise those living in coastal areas under signal number 2 are alerted against possible storm surges.
Public storm warning signal elsewhere is now lowered. Tropical Storm Ofel is expected to be at 510 km West of Metro Manila by Friday morning.
The NDRRMC said Ofel has affected a total of 296 families or 957 persons in Eastern Visayas.
The agency added that fishing boats and other small seacrafts are advised not to venture out into the seaboards of Luzon and Visayas due to the combine effect of Ofel and the surge of the northeast monsoon. (Emmanuel Louis Bacani/Sunnex)
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