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Saturday, December 27, 2003
Storm threatens landslide-devastated areas
MANILA -- Tropical storm Zigzag threatens to hit parts of the country Saturday that are still recovering from landslides and floods that have left an estimated 200 dead or missing.
Residents of low-lying areas as well as those near mountains were told to be on high alert against flash floods and landslides.
Tropical storm Zigzag, with strongest sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour near the center, was forecast to be 320 kilometers east of Catanduanes Island Saturday.
Eastern Visayas and Bicol have been experiencing winds strong enough to uproot small trees, while sea travel for small fishing boats is expected to be risky.
Public storm warning signal number one was raised over Bicol and Samar.
But Zigzag's winds and rains are also expected to pelt Leyte and Northern Mindanao, where the total number of casualties in landslides and floods last week has reached 174.
The number of missing has fallen to only 26 from 108, rescuers said.
Calamitous
These areas, however, remain in a calamitous state, and relief and rescue operations are continuing, the civil defense office said.
Torrential rains triggered by seasonal northeasterly winds caused floods and landslides in Leyte and Mindanao, with entire villages buried under mud. Officials also blamed illegal logging for the tragedy.
With villages still reeling from the tragedy, Zigzag's arrival Saturday will test these communities' preparations for coping with disaster.
The Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) released Friday its warning order no. 2 on tropical depression Zigzag.
The public and the disaster coordinating councils concerned are advised to take appropriate action.
In Legazpi City, at least 348 passengers were stranded after vessels were forbidden by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to leave the port due to rough seas and the typhoon warning.
Stranded passengers in Pilar, Sorsogon numbered to 159 and 25 in Bulan, also in Sorsogon.
The weather bureau expects Zigzag to be 200 kilometers east of Virac, Catanduanes Saturday afternoon.
By Sunday afternoon, it will be 180 kilometers of Alabat Island of Quezon Province or 80 kilometers from Virac, Catanduanes, bringing rains and winds at 80.6 kilometers per hour.
Pagasa has advised residents near mountain slopes to stay alert for possible floods and landslides. AFP/AIV/ Miko Santos
(December 27, 2003 issue)
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