Tropical depression Queenie is expected to continue to batter the Visayas and Mindanao with heavy rain as it crosses the southern part of the country from Wednesday night up to today, the state weather bureau said.
Northern and eastern Mindanao, Central and Western Visayas (including the southern portion of Cebu) and Palawan are now under Signal No. 1.
Oscar Tabada, head of Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) in the Visayas, said southern Cebu, particularly from Carcar City to Santander town, would experience heavy rainfall.
It is forecast to bring moderate to heavy rains (5-15mm) within the 300 km diameter of the tropical depression.
Queenie made landfall around 6 p.m. yesterday in the vicinity of Tandag, Surigao del Sur. It will traverse the Northern Mindanao area Wednesday eveningt and the southern part of the Central-Western Visayas area by Thursday morning.
The regional office of the Department of Education in Central Visayas ordered the suspension of classes in public elementary and high schools in southern Cebu at noon yesterday in anticipation of heavy rains.
Arden Monisit, DepEd provincial director, issued the order after storm signal No.1 was hoisted over southern Cebu.
The Cebu City government also ordered that classes in public schools be suspended at 3 p.m. Night classes in public schools were suspended.
Provincial information officer Ethel Natera said private schools in the affected areas were also urged to call off classes.
“We will continue evaluating the situation to determine if the suspension of classes will be extended until tomorrow (today),” she explained.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) station in Cebu suspended ferry crossings in the storm-affected provinces starting at 10 a.m. yesterday.
PCG-Cebu station commander Rodolfo Villajuan said 17 boats and roll-on-roll-off vessels as well as two motor boats were not allowed to sail, leaving more than 300 persons stranded at ports in Cebu.
Cebu’s Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office was placed on “blue alert” with rescue teams on standby.
According to PDRRMO executive officer Wilson Ramos fishermen were advised not to venture out to sea.
Signal no. 1
As of 5 p.m. Pagasa placed under storm signal no 1 the following provinces Palawan, Leyte, Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental, Siquijor, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Agusan del Sur, Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental, Dinagat Islands, Camiguin, Misamis Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Bukidnon, Zamboanga del Norte.
The weather bureau is advising the public to take the following precautionary measures:
• Residents in low lying and mountainous areas of the provinces with PSWS#1 as well as the rest of Mindanao are alerted against possible flashfloods and landslides.
• Fisherfolks and those with small seacrafts are advised not to venture out over the seaboards of Visayas and over the northern and eastern seaboards of Mindanao.
It is expected to be over the West Phlippine Sea by Friday afternoon, when the cyclone’s center is forecast to be 330 kilometers west northwest of Puerto Princesa City.
The country’s 20th tropical cyclone this year will exit the Philippine area of responsibility by Friday night, according to Pagasa.
The rest of the Visayas and Mindanao and the Bicol region, as well as the provinces of Mindoro, Marinduque and Romblon will experience light to moderate rain showers and thunderstorms, the weather bureau said.
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