The approaching Severe Tropical Storm (STS) “Rai,” which will be known as “Odette” in the country, can bring damaging winds, making sailing in the central Philippines dangerous for small and big vessels.
According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), Rai may hit the country Tuesday night.
Pagasa weather forecaster Nikos Peñaranda said rough seas will prevail and winds can cause waves over four meters high in open seas, particularly Bohol Sea bordering Eastern Visayas-Caraga area where “Odette” may make a landfall.
Peñaranda said such winds would also prompt hoisting of Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 3 in various central Philippine areas.
“If that happens, vessels won’t be allowed to sail there,” he said.
Pagasa located “Rai” 1,165 kilometers east of Mindanao as of 10 a.m. Tuesday, still outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).
It was moving west-northwestwards at 30 kilometers per hour (kph), packing maximum sustained winds of 95 kph near its center and gustiness of up to 115 kph.
Peñaranda said “Rai” will likely intensify into Typhoon Odette which may have maximum winds of around 155 kph before its landfall on Thursday.
“It’s also possible for ‘Odette’ to cross central Philippines as a typhoon with intense and even torrential rainfall,” he added.
Peñaranda said the rainfall can trigger flooding and landslides in central Philippine areas susceptible to these hazards.
In its daily forecast on Tuesday, Pagasa said the trough of “Rai” may already bring cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms to Eastern Visayas, Caraga, and Davao Region.
Flooding or landslides are possible during moderate to at times heavy rainfall, it said.
The weather bureau said northeast monsoon or “amihan” and localized thunderstorms will bring rain showers to other parts of the country.
Local government units (LGU) in areas within the path STS Rai may order preemptive evacuations in preparation for an approaching strong typhoon that may hit the country Tuesday night.
In an assessment by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), over 10,000 barangays in the Visayas and Mindanao and some areas in Southern Luzon are likely to be affected once “Odette” makes landfall.
“Na-identify nga po natin ang mga areas na at risk kaya po pinaalahanan ang mga LGUs na bago pa dumating ang sama ng panahon at nakikita po ang imminent risk sa area, ay maaari pong magsagawa ng pre-emptive evacuation itong ating mga local government units [We have identified areas at risk and we reminded LGUs that they can conduct preemptive evacuations if they see imminent risks, even before the storm hits in their respective areas],” NDRRMC spokesman Mark Cashean Timbal said in a Laging Handa briefing Tuesday.
Residents and LGUs in Northern Luzon are also warned about the adverse weather effects caused by the shear line that might be enhanced by the weather disturbance.
Due to the storm’s possible strong impact, inter-island sea travel in the Bicol Region, Eastern Visayas, and Caraga has been suspended to ensure that no one would be caught at sea by the storm and prevent stranding at the ports.
Timbal said the travel suspensions in these areas would remain until the storm warning has been lifted.
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