As of 5 p.m. on Thursday (PHOTO FROM DOST-PAGASA FB PAGE)
Northern Cebu will need to brace for a Christmas Day stormy weather as a public warning signal might be raised over the area, including Camotes Islands, once tropical cyclone Nina (international name: Nock-ten) enters the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).
Alice Canasa, weather specialist of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) station on Mactan Island, said that Nina was expected to enter PAR last night or early morning today.
“Nina is expected to take its landfall on Saturday (December 24), either in Bicol or Eastern Visayas region,” Canasa told Cebu Daily News.
Northern Cebu might be included in the storm signal warning since it is near the expected storm track in Bicol and Eastern Visayas.
As of 6 p.m. yesterday, tropical storm Nina was at 1,320 kilometers east of northern Mindanao with a maximum sustained winds of 75 kilometers per hour and gustiness of up to 95 kilometers per hour.
Nina still has the chance to intensify since it has not taken its landfall yet. It is expected to exit PAR either on Dec. 27 or Dec. 28, the Pagasa said.
As long as Nina has not entered PAR, the weather system that affects the country is the northeast monsoon or Amihan.
The northeast monsoon or the “Amihan” wind brings rainfall and cold winds from Siberia.
The weather bureau officially announced the onset of Amihan last November.
Amihan pulls the tropical cyclone downward and most of them are strong since Pacific Ocean is hotter.
Sea travel: normal
Sea travels will be allowed despite the expected tropical cyclone to enter the country, according to Commander Dionlett Ampil of Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in Cebu.
“We will only cancel trips once storm signals are raised in affected areas,” Ampil told CDN.
But Ampil clarified that shipping companies can also cancel travels if waves are rough even if there will be no storm signal warning over Cebu.
The PCG-Cebu recorded over 24,000 outbound passengers and 23,000 inbound passengers as of 6 p.m. yesterday. High influx of passengers are expected in the coming days as the Christmas holiday peaks.
Be vigilant
The Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CPDRRMO), on the other hand, is reminding residents to remain vigilant even during the holidays and to always be on alert as to the latest weather update.
With passenger influx set to spike today and tomorrow, Saturday, PDRRMO head Baltazar Tribunalo Jr. said that passengers should have their travels planned ahead and to not insist on proceeding with the trip if the situation does not permit it.
“Kanang magtampusisok diha sa pier, diha sa mga port areas, sa mga terminals, mas maayo mohangyo ko nila nga i-plano gyud unta ang byahe,” he said. “Dili lang gyud pugson kung dili gyud mobyahe ug puno na ang barko, or puno na ang bus unya amping gyud.”
(For passengers crowding in piers, in port areas, in terminals, I implore them to plan their travels ahead, to no insist on proceeding with their trips if the vessels or busses are already full, and to always be careful.) Tribunalo also urged passengers to refrain from bringing too many packages in their trips as these pose a safety hindrance in cases of emergencies.
He likewise encouraged passengers to call out speeding drivers as they endanger the lives of everyone.
For drivers, Tribunalo cautioned them against overloading as overloaded buses are prone to accidents as well as reminded them to not drink and drive and put the safety of everyone above everything else. Considering that it is the rainy season, Tribunalo reminded drivers to be careful as roads can get slippery while they are driving.
Tribunalo also pointed out that even if the typhoon is expected to affect mainly the Bicol region, everyone should never take chances, particularly by embarking on sea trips despite the rough waters.
Tribunalo said local disaster management offices were asked to stay open and for responders to not leave their office unattended even during the holidays, and to always monitor Pagasa updates.
He said the preparation for emergency response has long been set, as local disaster risk reduction responders all throughout the province have skeletal forces in place and ready for a 24/7 operations.