Typhoon Ruby makes landfall in Dolores, Eastern Samar

(Updated 10:47 p.m.) Typhoon Ruby (Hagupit) made landfall at 9:15 p.m. Saturday over Dolores town in Eastern Samar province, state weather agency PAGASA said.

 

"Officially nag-landfall si Ruby 9:15 p.m. sa Dolores, Eastern Samar," PAGASA forecaster Jori Loiz told dzBB radio's Manny Vargas.

 

Earlier, dzBB reported Ruby had remained almost stationary off Eastern Samar for about an hour.

 

PAGASA said Dolores may be the first of at least six landfalls Ruby may make between Saturday night and Monday.

 

 

As Ruby bore down on Eastern Visayas, it brought intense to torrential rainfall in the area on Saturday night.

At 10:15 p.m., heavy to torrential rainfall was recorded in the last hour in Catarman, Laoang, and Rosario in Northern Samar; Buscada, Gandara, Hinabangan, Paranas in Samar; and Kaglawaan, Alang-alang, Barugo, and Tacloban City in Leyte. Eastern Samar recorded light rains.

 

"Intense to torrential rainfall now falling over parts of Eastern Samar, Samar and Leyte. In Tacloban, heavy rainfall just started to fall," said Dr. CP David, the head of I M Ready and a member of the Department of Science and Technology's Project NOAH.

 

"This typhoon brings a lot of rain partly because it is slow moving — and therefore areas feel its impact for a longer period of time.

 

"Most of the heavy rains are being recorded in towns south of the eye of the typhoon. Ffrom the map, one can see less rain is falling over Sorsogon which is to the north of the eye. This is a phenomenon that has been observed in the past where rain across a typhoon doesnt fall uniformly but concentrated towards its southern/southwestern part."

 

Even before Ruby made landfall, PAGASA issued a red rainfall alert over Eastern Visayas.

 

"Serious flooding is expected in low-lying areas and landslides in mountainous areas," said PAGASA in a bulletin released at 6 p.m.

 

The red alert is raised over areas where rainfall amount is expected to over 30 mm within one hour. Serious flooding is expected in low-lying communities under the red alert.