TROPICAL STORM Urduja maintained its strength in the vicinity of Romblon province as of Sunday, Dec. 17, but is expected to be out of the country by Thursday morning, the state weather bureau said in a Sunday afternoon bulletin.
The same bulletin also advised, however, that as of 12 p.m. yesterday, a tropical depression outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) was estimated at 1,950 km east of Mindanao with maximum sustained winds of 40 km/h near the center and gustiness of up to 50 km/h.
Meanwhile, “(s)cattered to at times widespread rains will continue over Southern Quezon, Batangas, Mindoro Provinces, Marinduque, Romblon, and Northern Palawan including Cuyo and Calamian Group of Islands,” the bulletin said of the current storm, which reportedly killed three as of Sunday’s tally.
Residents in these provinces were advised to “undertake appropriate measures against flooding and landslides and coordinate with their local disaster risk reduction and management offices,” the state weather bureau Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical & Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.
On the other hand, rains over Bicol Region and Visayas are forecast to gradually weaken, the agency said.
For its part, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said on Sunday three transmission lines and facilities had been hit by the storm.
The power grid operator said Urduja first hit the Nasaug-San Isidro-San Miguel-St. Bernard 69-kilovolt (kV) line at 8:31 a.m., but this was restored at 6:12 p.m. on Saturday. The line serves the Southern Leyte Electric Cooperative.
The storm then hit the Babatngon-Arado 69-kV line at 8:22 a.m. yesterday, but this was partially restored at 4:50 p.m. the same day. The transmission line serves the Leyte Electric Cooperative II.
The Taft-Borongan-Quinapondan 69-kV Line on Eastern Samar went out at 9:25 a.m. also on Saturday. The line serves the Eastern Samar Electric Cooperative. No advisory was given yet on its restoration.
“Inspection and restoration of the affected lines will be in full swing as soon as the weather allows,” NGCP said.
Presidential spokesperson Harry L. Roque, Jr., for his part, said in part: “The Department of National Defense, through the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and the Office of Civil Defense, in coordination with concerned agencies of the government, is closely monitoring any possible weather disturbance and is working round the clock to render the necessary services.”
“As for Typhoon Urduja, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has mobilized relief operations to the affected parts of the country. DSWD-OIC Secretary Emmanuel Leyco assured that his agency has a stockpile of 368,000 family food packs worth P223 million, food and nonfood items worth P393 million and available standby funds amounting to P245 million,” Mr. Roque also said. — with Victor V. Saulon and Rosemarie A. Zamora
