6 areas under Signal No. 3 as Ambo makes 6th landfall

Typhoon Ambo maintained its strength Friday morning as it made its sixth landfall, this time in San Andres, Quezon, according to state weather bureau PAGASA.

Before San Andres, Ambo (international name: Vongfong)  made landfalls in San Policarpo, Eastern Samar; Dalupiri Island, Northern Samar; Capul Island, Northern Samar; Ticao Island, Masbate; and Burias Island, Masbate.

The first tropical cyclone to hit the Philippines this year, Ambo left a trail of destruction in Samar provinces since its first landfall.

Based on PAGASA's 8 a.m. Severe Weather Bulletin, six areas, all in Luzon, remained under Signal No. 3, namely:

• The western portion of Camarines Sur (Del Gallego, Ragay, Lupi, Sipocot, Cabusao, Libmanan, Pamplona, Pasacao, San Fernando, Minalabac, Bula, Balatan),
• the extreme western portion of Camarines Norte (Santa Elena),
• Burias Island,
• Marinduque,
• the eastern portion of Quezon (Polillo, Infanta, Real, Mauban, Pagbilao, Sampaloc, eastern Tayabas, Atimonan, Padre Burgos, Agdangan, Plaridel, Unisan, Gumaca, Pitogo, Perez, Alabat, Quezon, Tagkawayan, Calauag, Lopez, Macalelon, General Luna, Catanauan, Buenavista, Guinayangan, Mulanay, San Narciso, San Andres, San Francisco),
• the eastern portion of Laguna (Santa Maria, Famy, Siniloan, Pangil, Pakil, Mabitac, Paete, Kalayaan, Lumban, Cavinti)

Meanwhile, the following are under Signal No. 2

• the southeastern portion of Pangasinan (Mangatarem, Urbiztondo, Bayambang, Bautista, Basista, Malasiqui, Alcala, Sto. Tomas, Urdaneta, Villasis, Rosales, Asingan, Sta. Maria, Balungao, Umingan, San Quintin, Tayug, San Manuel, San Nicolas, Natividad),
• Nueva Vizcaya,
• Quirino,
• Aurora,
• Nueva Ecija,
• Tarlac,
• Pampanga,
• Bulacan,
• Metro Manila,
• Rizal,
• Cavite,
• Batangas,
• the rest of Laguna,
• the rest of Quezon,
• the western portion of Masbate (Balud, Mandaon, Aroroy, Baleno, Masbate City, Mobo, Uson, Milagros) including Ticao Island,
• the rest of Camarines Norte,
• the rest of Camarines Sur,
• Albay,
• Sorsogon,
• the southern portion of Catanduanes (San Andres, Virac, Bato),
• the eastern portion of Romblon (Banton, Corcuera, Calatrava, San Agustin, Romblon, Magdiwang, San Fernando, Cajidiocan)

The following areas, on the other hand, were under Signal No. 1:

• Cagayan including Babuyan Islands,
• Isabela,
• Ilocos Norte,
• Ilocos Sur,
• La Union,
• the rest of Pangasinan,
• Apayao,
• Kalinga,
• Abra,
• Mountain Province,
• Ifugao,
• Benguet,
• Zambales,
• Bataan,
• Oriental Mindoro,
• Occidental Mindoro,
• the rest of Catanduanes,
• the rest of Romblon.
• The extreme northeastern portion of Capiz (Pilar, Panay, Roxas, Ivisan),
• the northeastern portion of Iloilo (Carles, Balasan, Estancia, Batad),
• the western portion of Northern Samar (San Vicente, Capul, San Antonio, Allen, Victoria, San Isidro, Biri, Lavezares, Rosario, San Jose)

Rain outlook

PAGASA warned residents of Bicol, Quezon, Aurora, Marinduque, Laguna, Rizal, Metro Manila, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, and Quirino that they may experience
"moderate to heavy with at times intense rains" within the day.

"Residents in these areas are advised to take appropriate measures, coordinate with local disaster risk reduction and management offices, and continue monitoring for updates, especially the local rainfall or thunderstorm advisories and heavy rainfall warnings from PAGASA Regional Services Divisions (PRSD)," it said.

PAGASA added that "flooding and rain-induced landslides may occur in highly to very highly susceptible areas during heavy or prolonged rainfall."

Twin threat

Because of the twin threat of the storm and the COVID-19, evacuation centers will only accept half their capacity and evacuees will have to wear facemasks.

The bureau also said storm surges measuring up to 2.0 meters high may be experienced over the coastal areas of Bicol Region, Quezon, and Aurora "which may result to potentially life-threatening coastal inundation."

Sea travel is risky for all types of seacrafts over the seaboards of areas under storm signals, it added.

Typhoon Ambo, according to PAGASA's bulletin, was moving northwest at 15 km/h packing maximum sustained winds of 125 km/h near the center and gustiness of up to 165 km/h.

It is expected to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Tuesday morning.

Typhoons are a dangerous and disruptive part of life in the Philippine archipelago, which gets hit by an average of 20 storms and typhoons each year.

The storms put millions of people in disaster-prone areas in a state of constant poverty and cycle of rebuilding. --KBK, GMA News