'Reming' spares Metro Manila; thousands evacuated, stranded

While hundreds of families in the Bicol region tried to escape from its wrath, super typhoon Reming on Thursday afternoon shifted its course and spared Metro Manila from another potential urban disaster. Glenn Rabonza, executive officer of the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), said the eye of the typhoon is now expected to be located at a more distant 70 km east southeast of Metro Manila by Friday morning. Reming was earlier predicted to be within 68 km east of Metro Manila at that time. Now marching west northwest at a slower pace of 15 kph, Reming is expected to plow through Mindoro Island and western Luzon instead of crawling further up north towards the Philippine capital and Southern Tagalog. The weather disturbance was moving west northwest earlier in the day. State weather forecasters expected Reming to be located 160 km of Iba, Zambales on Saturday and 490 kms of the same municipality by the following day. If it did not change its course, then Reming would have stayed within 290 km west of Metro Manila by Saturday morning. As this developed, about 550 families in Camarines Sur alone have been evacuated in the wake of the typhoon, GMA News' Flash Report said. Meanwhile, a total of 3,349 people in Bicol and Southern Luzon were stranded at various ports in these areas. The NDCC, however, reported only 166 relocated families, of which 100 were from the Bitano Victory Village in Legazpi City, Albay. Among the stranded passengers, 1,476 were from Southern Luzon and 1,873 from Bicol. Those stranded included 1,000 in Calapan in Mindoro Oriental, and 1,444 in Matnog, Sorsogon. Also stranded were 167 trucks, 13 vehicles, 32 buses, and 13 vessels stranded. The National Transmission Corp. (Transco) reported that Albay, Sorsogon, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte and part of Quezon are now experiencing total power loss. Pagasa has also put its radar facility in Virac, Catanduanes on preventive shutdown to prevent damage to equipment. Authorities have also warned residents near rivers and streams in Samar area particularly Catarman River; Catubig River; Orias, Dolores, Olot and Taft Rivers, Suribao River; Llorento River, Basey, Silaga, Calbiga, Gandara and Jibatan Rivers including its allied rivers and tributaries. "People living near the mountain slopes and in the low-lying areas of the above-mentioned river systems in the province are advised to be alert for possible flashfloods and landslides," NDCC said.-GMANews.TV