‘Hanna’ intensifies; typhoon-enhanced ‘habagat’ brings heavy rains

Typhoon "Hanna" slightly intensifies as it accelerates west-northwestward towards the sea east of Taiwan while enhanced southwest monsoon or "habagat" will bring heavy rains over the western portion of Luzon in the next three days, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said Saturday.

PAGASA said the southwest monsoon currently enhanced by "Hanna" and two other typhoons, "Saola" (formerly "Goring") and Severe Tropical Storm "Kirogi", will cause gusty conditions over the following areas not under any Wind Signal, especially in coastal and upland/mountainous areas exposed to winds in Batanes, Ilocos Region, Abra, Benguet, Zambales, Bataan, Bulacan, Aurora, Metro Manila, CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, Bicol Region, Western Visayas, and the northern portion of Eastern Visayas until Saturday.

Typhoon "Hanna" has already affected 112,384 families or 408,053 individuals residing in 1,445 barangays within the Ilocos region, Cagayan Valley, Western Visayas, Calabarzon,  Mimaropa, Central Luzon, and Cordillera Administrative Region.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported more than P421.19 million worth of damages in the agricultural sector, affecting some 10,196 farmers and fisherfolk operating in 18,470.25 hectares of crop areas.

The estimated cost of damage to infrastructure amounting to P130,251,200 was reported in Region 2, MIMAROPA, Region 6, and CAR.

The NDRRMC accounted for a total of 502 damaged houses in the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon, MIMAROPA, Western Visayas, and CAR with 25 roads and nine bridges remained not passable. Two areas in CALABARZON and Western Visayas are still experiencing water supply.

There were 89 seaports that have canceled operations in Cagayan Valley, CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, and Western Visayas amid the continuing inclement weather. Some 234 passengers have been stranded in CALABARZON and Western Visayas. The six domestic flights that have been affected have now resumed operations.

NDRRMC said two municipalities have already declared under a state of calamity due to the cyclones and intensified southwest monsoon.

The government said it has already provided a total of P17.68 million worth of assistance, which came in the form of family food packs, family kits, financial aid, and many more.

Meanwhile, PAGASA said "Hanna" is forecast to move west-northwestward or westward while intensifying until it makes landfall along the east coast of southern Taiwan on late Sunday.

"Hanna" is considerably weakening is expected as a result of crossing the rugged landmass of Taiwan.

PAGASA said "Hanna" will exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility and emerge over the Taiwan Strait around Monday morning or afternoon.

Outside the PAR region, the weather disturbance is forecast to move erratically and may even become slow-moving or almost stationary over the Taiwan Strait while continuously weakening due to land interaction and an increasingly unfavorable environment.

PAGASA forecast 'Hanna' will have weakened into a tropical depression by Wednesday or Thursday. It was last tracked over 455-kilometer east northeast of Itbayat, Batanes, packing maximum sustained winds of 130 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 160 kph while moving west-northwestward at 15 kph.