Tropical Cyclone (TC) “Kabayan” with its international name “Jelawat” has now weakened into a tropical depression (TD) as it made landfall in Barangay Concepcion, Municipality of Manay, Davao Oriental, at around 9:30 a.m. on Monday, December 19, 2023.
It is now moving almost stationary while in the vicinity of Caraga, Davao Oriental.
According to a 24-hour bulletin board by the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), the 11th tropical cyclone to have entered the Philippines this year and the first in December has maximum sustained winds of 55 km/h near the center and gustiness of up to 70 km/h.
However, despite the signal warnings, the weather bureau clarified that Kabayan will not reach the Typhoon nor Super Typhoon category but will make another landfall over central or southern Palawan as a tropical depression by the morning or afternoon of December 19.
Several local government units (LGUs) in Davao Region have collectively implemented the suspension of classes at all levels in both public and private schools and government offices until further notice.
Hundreds of residents in Manay, where Kabayan made its first landfall have been rescued and placed in some evacuation centers to receive necessary supplies, which include food packs, kitchen kits, meals, and family kits positioned by the Provincial Social Welfare Development Office-Davao Oriental (PSWDO-Davao Oriental).
On the other hand, several big rivers in the province of Davao Oriental particularly in Caraga, a town which is a few kilometers from Manay, have been observed to have a high increase in water volume due to the continuous and heavy rains.
It was also reported that the Lamiawan Bridge in Barangay Lamiawan which connects to Sitio Sangab, Barangay Pichon in Caraga, Davao Oriental has collapsed due to powerful currents of the Lamiawan River.
Local authorities have a hard time transporting essential equipment and other emergency-related assistance to its neighboring sitios and puroks due to the situation.
Also, the water levels in Aragon Dam in Cateel, Davao Oriental have reached 20 meters, signaling a warning level. The Cateel LGU has now issued orders for pre-emptive measures by deploying its personnel mainly from its Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO).
Currently, 25 provinces in Visayas and Mindanao remain under Signal No. 1 wherein all provinces in Davao Region are now placed under the same category following its Signal No. 2, early morning of December 18.
Pagasa already announced that the current surge of the Northeast Monsoon in the country may bring heavy rainfall in some eastern portions of South Luzon and will contribute to the high coastal waters along the seaboard of northern Luzon, the eastern and central seaboards of Visayas, and the eastern seaboards of Central Luzon, Southern Luzon, and Mindanao.
Based on the forecast, Kabayan will exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) or 205 km South Southeast of Pagasa Island, Palawan, on Wednesday morning of December 20.
As of press time, all concerned Provincial Units, LGUs, and the Office of the Civil Defense-Davao Region (OCD) have yet to provide the initial damage assessment for the calamity, especially on agriculture and infrastructure. Assistance monitoring on the affected families, however, is ongoing. DEF