TD Samuel maintains strength; Eastern Samar landfall imminent

Tropical Depression Samuel maintained its strength and was just a few hours away from making landfall over the southern portion of Eastern Samar, weather service PAGASA reported in a Tuesday night bulletin.

At 10 p.m., Samuel was 90 kilometers east-northeast of Eastern Samar's Guiuan town, still with 55 kilometer per hour winds and gusts of up to 65 kph.

With Samuel moving northwest at 15 kph, the tropical depression was expected to make landfall somewhere over the southern portion of Eastern Samar between 12 a.m. and 2 a.m. Wednesday.

Samuel would bring moderate to heavy rain, which may trigger flooding and landslides, over the entire Visayas, Bicol Region, Mimaropa Region, and southern Quezon.

Sea conditions in areas under Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal 1, and the northern and eastern seaboards of Luzon, would also be dangerous for fisherfolk and small seacraft due to Samuel.

PAGASA, meanwhile, placed the following areas under Signal 1:

• Masbate including Ticao Island,
• Romblon,
• southern Oriental Mindoro,
• southern Occidental Mindoro,
• Palawan including Cuyo Island and the Calamian Islands, 
• Northern Samar,
• Eastern Samar,
• Samar,
• Biliran,
• Leyte,
• Southern Leyte,
• Bohol,
• Cebu,
• Siquijor,
• Negros Oriental,
• Negros Occidental,
• Guimaras,
• Iloilo,
• Capiz,
• Aklan,
• Antique, 
• the Dinagat Islands,
• Surigao del Norte,
• Surigao del Sur,
• Agusan del Norte,
• Agusan del Sur,
• Misamis Oriental, and
• Camiguin.

Given Samuel's speed and direction, the tropical depression was expected to be:

• 80 kms west-southwest of Cuyo, Palawan by Wednesday evening,
• 380 kms west-northwest of Puerto Princesa City, Palawan by Thursday evening, and
• 750 kms west of Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, and outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility, by Friday evening.

— DVM, GMA News