Hanna maintains strength, to continue enhancing Habagat

Severe Tropical Storm Hanna maintained its strength early Friday morning over the Philippine Sea and will continue to enhance the southwest monsoon or Habagat, PAGASA said.

In its 5 a.m. bulletin on Friday, the state weather bureau said enhanced southwest monsoon will continue to bring gusty conditions over the following areas within the day:

• Batanes,
• Ilocos Region,
• Cordillera Administrative Region,
• Zambales,
• Bataan,
• Aurora,
• Bulacan,
• Metro Manila,
• CALABARZON,
• MIMAROPA,
• Bicol Region,
• Western Visayas,
• northern portion of Eastern Visayas

"Due to the Southwest Monsoon that it (Hanna) is slightly enhancing, a Gale Warning is in effect for most seaboards of Luzon and Western Visayas, and the seaboard of Northern Samar," PAGASA said.

The weather bureau also said forecast rainfall are generally higher in elevated or mountainous areas.

"Under these conditions, flooding and rain-induced landslides are expected especially in areas that are highly or very highly susceptible to these hazards as identified in hazard maps and in localities that experienced considerable amounts of rainfall for the past several days," it said.

Aside from Hanna, two other tropical cyclones -- Typhoon Saola (formerly Goring) and Severe Tropical Storm Kirogi -- are also enhancing the southwest monsoon, PAGASA said.

The expected inclement weather from the enhanced southwest monsoon throughout Friday has prompted local government units to suspend classes.

In Metro Manila, classes in all levels in both public and private schools, as well as government work, have been suspended by Malacañang.

Over 20 international flights scheduled for the day were also canceled. 

As of 4 a.m., Hanna was at 870 km east of Extreme Northern Luzon (22.1°N, 130.1°E) packing aximum sustained winds of 110 km/h near the center, gustiness of up to 135 km/h, and central pressure of 980 hPa. It was moving west northwestward at 20 km/h

Hanna is expected to develop into a typhoon within the day. It is seen to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Sunday morning.

Meanwhile, according to the latest report by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Friday, one person was reported killed in Western Visayas amid Goring and Hanna.

The information on the fatality, however, is still for validation, the NDRRMC said.

A total of 387,242 people or 106,677 families were affected by Goring and Hanna in Ilocos, Cagayan, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Western Visayas, and Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).

Of the affected population, 21,701 persons or 5,152 families were staying in 293 evacuation centers while 24,827 individuals or 6,092 families were taking shelter in other places.

A total of 482 houses were damaged — 371 partially and 111 totally — in Ilocos, Cagayan, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Western Visayas, and CAR.

Damage to agriculture worth P395,246,593 and to infrastructure worth P41,216,200 were also reported, according to the NDRRMC. 

Because 71 seaports were still not operating, the NDRRMC said 234 passengers, five motorbancas, and a vessel were stranded in Calabarzon and Western Visayas.

Assistance worth P16,498,997 has been provided to the victims, the NDRRMC said. —KBK, GMA Integrated News