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When tropical storm “Siony” left the Philippine area of responsibility on Saturday, meteorologists warned that a low pressure area (LPA) in eastern Samar could escalate into a tropical depression as it moves through the archipelago.
The Philippines’ Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said the LPA was detected 75 kilometers northeast of Borongan City at 4 p.m. Saturday and may cause moderate to heavy rains in the Bicol, Visayas region. from the east and the provinces of Aurora and Quezon.
Pagasa said the LPA, to be called “Tonyo” if it turns into a storm, may pass the Visayas and southern Luzon before turning into a tropical depression in the Sulu Sea early Sunday or Monday.
The LPA can also move into the Western Philippine Sea before becoming a storm.
“Anyway, we must prepare for the heavy rains that could lead to floods and landslides, especially in the Eastern Visayas, Bicol and Mimaropa regions. These areas were affected by recent typhoons, so there is a high risk of dangers, ”said Pagasa meteorologist Ariel Rojas.
The Bicol region is still recovering from the impact of typhoons “Quinta” and “Rolly”, which displaced thousands of people and left about P6 billion in damaged crops and infrastructure.
Relief
According to the Disaster Response Operations Information and Monitoring Center (Dromic) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, more than 410,000 families from Bicol, Eastern Visayas, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa and Metro Manila were affected by Rolly.
Dromic said that 16,948 houses were destroyed while more than 79,000 houses were partially damaged. Nearly 24,000 families, or 95,700 people, remain in the 911 evacuation areas, it added.
More than P50.4 million in relief assistance from national and local governments and non-governmental organizations went to the regions affected by Rolly.
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has established satellite Internet connectivity in Catanduanes, increasing the recovery efforts of commercial operators.
The DICT said it deployed a very small aperture terminal at Virac, classified as typhoon ground zero.
“We look forward to providing vital connectivity services to Catanduanes Ground Zero to help the government and humanitarian community respond to the province’s recovery needs,” said Communications Secretary Gregorio Honasan II.
“By doing this, we can enable timely status updates, get relevant news, and improve coordination and support efforts,” he added.
The DICT said there were three Wi-Fi centers in Catanduanes.
Other sites are still down or experiencing intermittent connection due to damage from typhoons.
The DICT said it was working to restore these sites as soon as possible.
Zero casualties
Siony, on the other hand, damaged P4.9 million in agricultural products in Batanes alone, but the province’s infrastructure and public services were unharmed, according to Governor Marilou Cayco.
Cayco said there were no casualties among the residents. She attributed this to the province’s early preparations.
When the warning came that Siony would hit the province, he convened the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council to closely monitor the storm and distribute relief items even before the typhoon struck, he said.
Residents also immediately secured the roofs and windows of their homes and were evacuated to safer areas, he said. —WITH REPORTS FROM MIGUEL R. CAMUS AND LEILA B. SALAVEIRRA
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