TROPICAL DEPRESSION Samuel, the 19th typhoon to hit the country this year, disrupted sea and air travel in the Visayas, southern Luzon areas, and the northern parts of Mindanao before its expected landfall Tuesday evening. As of 8 a.m. on Nov. 20, the Philippine Coast Guard reported 5,656 passengers stranded in various ports in the Visayas islands and the regions of Northern Mindanao and Bicol as more than 900 vessels were not allowed to go out to sea. Several domestic flights from the Mactan-Cebu International Airport were also cancelled. As of the 5 p.m., Nov. 20 bulletin from weather bureau PAGASA, Samuel was forecasted to make landfall “in the area between the southern portion of Eastern Samar and Dinagat Islands…” Typhoon signal #1 was up over several areas and PAGASA warned against potential flooding and landslides. The Department of Social Welfare and Development, meanwhile, reported that it has 374,104 family food packs worth P1.37 million and non-food items amounting to P879 million ready for distribution. A P1.1 billion standby fund is also available for quick response operations.

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