Signal No. 4 up over 10 Visayas provinces; alert raised for storm surges By: Jaime Sinapit, InterAksyon | Philippines News Agency | Agence France-Presse November 7, 2013 5:38 AM Satellite image of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) as of 4:30 p.m. November 7, 2013. DOST-PAGASA InterAksyon The online news portal of TV5 MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE 7 - 10:05 p.m.) Public storm warning Signal No. 4 has been raised over 10 provinces in Eastern and Western Visayas as typhoon “Yolanda” (international codename: Haian) accelerated and strengthened further as it barreled towards landfall in Leyte or Eastern Samar early Friday morning. The storm was last tracked 453 kilometers southeast of Guiuan, Eastern Samar, packing winds of 225 kilometer per hour with gusts of up to 260 kph as it moved west northwest at 39 kph, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said late Thursday afternoon. It is forecast to hit Guiuan or Abuyog, Leyte then cut through Biliran, northern Cebu, Iloilo, Capiz, Aklan, Romblon, Semirara Island, southern Mindoro and Busuanga before heading towards the West Philippine Sea Friday night, but is expected to exit from the Philippine area of responsibility is early Sunday morning. Authorities warned more than 12 million people are at risk from Yolanda, which had earlier been classified as a supertyphoon and category 5 hurricane in the United States’ National Hurricane Center’s Saffir-Simpson wind scale -- meaning it has a wind speed of 250 kilometers per hour or higher, the strongest storm in the world this year. The US Navys Joint Typhoon Warning Center said Yolanda had maximum sustained winds on Thursday afternoon of 278 kilometres an hour with gusts of 333 kilometres an hour. This means that: “Catastrophic damage will occur: A high percentage of framed homes will be destroyed, with total roof failure and wall collapse. Fallen trees and power poles will isolate residential areas. Power outages will last for weeks to possibly months. Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks or months.” This is a very dangerous typhoon, local officials know where the vulnerable areas are and have given instructions on evacuations, state weather forecaster Glaiza Escullar told AFP. There are not too many mountains on its path to deflect the force of impact, making it more dangerous. Signal No. 4, which means winds of more than 185 kph can be expected over the next 12 hours or more, has been raised over Eastern Samar, Samar, Leyte, Southern Leyte, Biliran province, extreme northern Cebu, Bantayan island, Capiz, Aklan and northern Antique. Signal No. 3 (101-185 kph winds over 18 hours) is up over Ticao Island, Sorsogon, Romblon, Calamian group of islands, Northern Samar, the rest of Antique, Iloilo, Guimaras, northern Negros Occidental, northern Negros Oriental, northern Cebu including Cebu City, Bohol, Siargao Island and Dinagat Province. Signal No. 2 (61-100 kph winds over 24 hours) is hoisted over Marinduque, Albay, extreme northern Palawan, Burias Island, the rest of Negros Occidental, the rest of Negros Oriental, Siquijor, the rest of Cebu, Camiguin, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur and Agusan del Norte Signal No. 1 (winds of 30-60 kph over 36 hours) is raised over Metro Manila, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, southern Quezon, Laguna, Rizal, Cavite, Batangas, Lubang Island and the rest of Northern Palawan including Puerto Princesa. PAGASA said heavy to intense rainfall of 10.0-30.0 mm per hour should be expected within Yolanda’s 600-km diameter. Storm surges The Department of Science and Technologys Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards, or Project NOAH, also warned of dangerous storm surges of as high as five meters in coastal areas along Yolandas path.
Posted on: Thu, 07 Nov 2013 16:18:45 +0000
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