8 areas under Signal No. 2 as Bising maintains strength

Eight areas remained under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) No. 2 while 13 remained under TCWS No. 1 while Typhoon Bising turned northwestward while maintaining its strength, PAGASA said on Monday morning.

In its 5 a.m. bulletin, PAGASA said under TCWS No. 2 were:

• Catanduanes,
• the eastern portion of Camarines Sur (Garchitorena, Presentacion, Caramoan, Sagnay, San Jose, Lagonoy),
• the eastern portion of Albay (Tiwi, Malinao, Tabaco City, Malilipot, Santo Domingo, Bacacay, Rapu-Rapu, Legazpi City, Manito),
• the eastern and central portions of Sorsogon (Castilla, Sorsogon City, Prieto Diaz, Gubat, Barcelona, Casiguran, Juban, Magallanes, Bulan, Bulusan, Irosin, Santa Magdalena, Matnog)
• Northern Samar,
• Samar,
• Eastern Samar, and
• Biliran

Meanwhile, under TCWS No. 1 were:

• eastern portion of Isabela (Divilacan, Palanan, Dinapigue), the northern portion of Aurora (Casiguran, Dilasag),
• the southeastern portion of Quezon (Guinayangan, Calauag, Tagkawayan) including Polillo Islands,
• Camarines Norte,
• the rest of Camarines Sur,
• the rest of Albay,

ADVERTISEMENT

• the rest of Sorsogon, and
• Masbate including Burias and Ticao Islands
• Leyte,
• Southern Leyte, and
• the northern portion of Cebu (Tabogon, Borbon, San Remigio, Bogo City, Medellin, Daanbantayan) including Bantayan and Camotes Islands
• Dinagat Islands,
• Siargao Islands, and
• Bucas Grande Islands

Bising -- with maximum sustained winds of 195 km/h near the center and gustiness of up to 240 km/h -- is forecast to maintain its current intensity in the next 12 to 24 hours before gradually weakening throughout the remainder of the forecast period, PAGASA said.

At 4 a.m. on Monday, the center of Bising's eye was located at 250 km east northeast of Virac, Catanduanes (14.1 °N, 126.5 °E). It was moving north northwestward at 10 km/h.

"Today, moderate to heavy with at times intense rains will be experienced over Bicol Region, Northern Samar, Samar, Eastern Samar, Biliran, and Leyte," PAGASA said.

Flooding, including flashfloods, as well as rain-induced landslides are "increasingly likely to occur especially in areas identified in hazard maps as highly or very highly susceptible to these hazards," it warned.

Effects

According to data from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), as of  7 p.m. on Sunday Bising (international name: Surigae) displaced 57,793 individuals or 15,852 families in the Bicol Region.

Broken down, 9,833 families or 35,054 were in Albay; 835 families or 3,251 families in Camarines Sur; 5,109 families or 19,199 individuals in Catanduanes; and 75 families or 369 individuals in Sorsogon.

There were 851 stranded passengers in seaports, 11 buses, 176 trucks, 103 light vehicles, and seven sea vessels. Meanwhile, a total of 173 passengers were stranded along the Maharlika Highway in Putiao, Pilar in Sorsogon.  --KBK, GMA News