Tuesday, November 20, 2007 Pag-asa: We told City Hall about Lando
OFFICIALS of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Administration (Pag-asa) were caught flat-footed when the storm code-named “Lando” hit Cebu Province at 4:30 p.m. yesterday before it could raise the typhoon signal.
Oscar Tabada, chief of Pag-asa Mactan, said the storm center was Cebu City where the wind passed by at the speed of 100 kilometers per hour (kph).
Signal number 2 was raised over Cebu City at 4:30 p.m. yesterday, and then in Toledo City past 6 p.m. Signal number 1 was raised in Consolacion town and the rest of northern Cebu and in Minglanilla town and the rest of southern Cebu.
The storm exited Toledo City between 5:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. and is now heading to for Iloilo City.
Tabada admitted that they were caught by surprise when the wind suddenly picked up speed—from low pressure area to tropical depression and then to storm.
In a normal typhoon path, Pag-asa can already identify a coming tropical depression or storm before it will hit land.
Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña reminded the public to be on alert in case the weather worsens.
Osmeña said residents of the city already know what areas are prone to floods and landslides, and they should know what to do in times of weather disturbances.
“No (We were not caught off guard), we were notified about this and in the city we know the possible landslide areas. People know that already and they have been alerted,” he said in a radio dyLA interview.
The mayor also asked residents living near huge billboards and tarpaulins to report to City Hall’s disaster team once they see signs that the advertising materials are about to collapse.
He said the Cebu City Disaster Coordinating Council will be on alert 24 hours to monitor and respond to any untoward incident that may happen during and after the storm.
In a separate interview, Tabada said that low pressure has a wind speed of up to 20 kph, a tropical depression from 21 to 63 kph, a storm from 64 to 109 kph, while a typhoon is from 110 kph and above.
Tabada said that as early as Saturday, they already warned the public that there will be non-stop rain for three days and a low pressure was spotted in Surigao.
But when the low pressure hit Maasin, Leyte, Tabada said it suddenly became tropical depression traveling at 60 kph and then turned into a storm after passing Bohol.
The center wind when the storm hit Cebu City was 100 kph.
Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority General Manager Danilo Augusto Francia said they diverted flights from Cebu to Manila.
“Many flights to Cebu went back to Manila while some were cancelled because of the storm,” Francia said.
He said the airport was on storm alert.
Joseph Lo, who owns Clear Water ice plant in Tabok, Mandaue City, said a big billboard fell on their plant and office while about 20 workers were inside.
“We wrote the Mandaue City Government a few months ago requesting the removal of the billboard as it posed danger to the people. But there was no response,” Lo said.
Chester Cokaliong, president and general manager of Cokaliong Shipping Lines, also criticized Pag-asa for its failure to inform the public of a coming storm.
But Tabada said the acceleration of the wind from low pressure to storm Lando was really unexpected.
“When we first upgraded the low pressure to tropical depression, we expected that it will arrive in Cebu between 5:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. However, it became a storm and hit Cebu as early as 4:30 p.m.” Tabada said.
He said Pag-asa is not 100 percent accurate because winds change after hitting land.
“We are only a warning agency. We estimate the speed of the wind and inform the public about it,” Tabada said. (EOB/LCR)
