Signal No. 1 up in 11 areas as Amang maintains strength —PAGASA

Eleven areas in Luzon remained under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) No. 1 as Tropical Depression Amang maintained its strength on Wednesday afternoon, according to state weather bureau PAGASA.

In its 2 p.m. bulletin, PAGASA said TCWS No. 1 was hoisted over the following areas:

• Catanduanes
• Sorsogon (City of Sorsogon, Pilar, Castilla, Donsol, Barcelona, Magallanes, Gubat, Casiguran, Juban, Prieto Diaz)
• Albay
• Camarines Sur
• Camarines Norte
• Laguna (Cavinti, Lumban, Kalayaan, Paete, Pakil, Pangil, Siniloan, Famy, Santa Maria, Mabitac)
• Aurora
• Quezon (Buenavista, Calauag, Infanta, Lopez, Guinayangan, Plaridel, Quezon, Alabat, Sampaloc, Mauban, General Nakar, Perez, Gumaca, Atimonan, Real, San Narciso, Tagkawayan) including Pollilo Islands
• Rizal (Tanay, Pililla, Rodriguez, Baras, City of Antipolo)
• Bulacan (Norzagaray, Doña Remedios Trinidad)
• Nueva Ecija (Gabaldon, Bongabon, Laur, General Tinio)

Amang was last spotted over the waters off Caramoan, Camarines Sur as of 1 p.m. It was heading north-northwestward at 10 kilometers per hour while packing maximum sustained winds of 45 kph near the center, gustiness of up to 55 km/h, and a central pressure of 1006 hPa.

PAGASA said heavy rains are expected across parts of Luzon with accumulated rainfall of 50-100mm seen in Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur and Quezon in the next 24 hours and in CALABARZON, Metro Manila, Tarlac, Pampanga, Bulacan, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, and the southern portion of Aurora in the next three days.

Under these conditions, isolated flashfloods and rain-induced landslides are possible, especially in areas that are highly or very highly susceptible to these hazard as identified in hazard maps and in localities that experienced considerable amounts of rainfall for the past several days.

PAGASA also said strong winds (strong breeze to near gale strength) may be experienced in areas under TCWS No. 1, which may cause minimal to minor impacts to life and property.

“In the next 24 hours, moderate to rough seas may be experienced over the eastern and southern seaboards of Southern Luzon (1.5 to 3.5 m) and the eastern seaboard of Central Luzon (1.5 to 2.8 m). Mariners of small seacraft are advised to take precautionary measures when venturing out to sea and, if possible, avoid navigating in these conditions,” it added.

Amang is forecast to track generally northwestward in the next 12 hours and is expected to pass over the eastern localities in Camarines Sur, Lamon Bay, and Quezon.

PAGASA said Amang may weaken into a low pressure area by Thursday, or even earlier, due to the combined effects of land interaction, dry air intrusion, and increasing vertical wind shear.

Effects, preparations

Due to Amang, several classes across Luzon scheduled for Wednesday have been suspended due to Amang.

The Philippine Coast Guard, meanwhile, reported that from 8 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, 4,523 passengers, truck drivers, and cargo helpers were stranded in Bicol, Eastern Visayas, and Southern Tagalog regions.

Some flights were canceled due to the bad weather. 

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), meanwhile, said it has activated its “high-risk” emergency preparedness protocol for the possible impact of Amang.

In a statement, NDRRMC spokesperson Assistant Secretary Raffy Alejandro said their emergency preparedness protocol has been activated to Charlie Protocol.

The Charlie or high-risk protocol includes activating emergency operations centers to red alert, recommending class and work suspension, imposing preemptive and forced evacuations, among others. —Sundy Locus/KBK, GMA Integrated News