Typhoon ‘Nika’ batters NL

Typhoon “Nika,” the fourth consecutive storm to hit Northern Luzon, made landfall in the Isabela-Aurora area, uprooting trees and damaging infrastructure.

The storm struck near Dilasag, Aurora at 8:10 a.m. with winds of 130 km/h and gusts up to 180 km/h.

Before landfall, Signal No. 4 was raised in the southern parts of Isabela and northern Aurora. In Santiago City, several establishments were heavily damaged, while residents in Isabela reported howling winds and torrential rains since early morning.

The Provincial Information Office of Isabela reported that six bridges are currently impassable due to flooding, including Masaya Sur Bridge in San Agustin, Annafunan and Gucab Bridges in Echague, and others in Cauayan City and Ilagan City.

Magat Dam opened one spillway gate on Monday afternoon, releasing 130 cubic meters per second (cms) of water.

As of 8 a.m. on Monday, the water level at Magat Dam was 181.95 meters, still below its normal high water level of 193 meters.

In Aurora, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) reported flooding and landslides in Dilasag and Casiguran, making some roads impassable for light vehicles.

As of the 5 p.m. bulletin from Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, “Nika” was last located over Besao, Mountain Province, with winds of 120 km/h and gusts up to 200 km/h. It is moving west-northwest at 25 km/h.

Signal No. 4 remains in effect in Kalinga, Mt. Province, northern Ifugao, central and southern Abra, and northern and central Ilocos Sur. Signal No. 3 is still in place in parts of Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Isabela, Cagayan, Apayao, Abra, Ifugao, Benguet, Ilocos Norte and the remaining areas of Ilocos Sur.

“Nika” is expected to exit the waters of Ilocos Sur Monday evening and leave the Philippine Area of Responsibility by Tuesday morning.

Families displaced

“Nika” displaced brought heavy rains and strong winds, displacing more than 1,000 families across Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino provinces.

As of Monday, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Region II reported 708 families (2,177 individuals) affected.

At least 635 families (1,949 individuals) sought refuge in 58 evacuation centers across Cagayan Valley. The highest number of evacuees was in Isabela, with 478 families (1,492 people) in 37 centers.

Additionally, 29 families (88 individuals) were sheltered with relatives.

In response, DSWD dispatched 8,995 family food packs to Batanes and is preparing another 10,000 packs for possible “Nika” victims. Another 1,000 food packs are being prepositioned for Aurora. WITH AFP