THE worst seems to be over as Typhoon “Betty” moves away from the Philippine Area of Responsibility, a disaster official said Tuesday.
National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) spokesperson Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said the latest bulletin from the state weather bureau said Betty had already passed Batanes.
He added that there were no reports of major damage as a result of Betty.
“Based on the report we received, the effect was minimal compared to what we were projecting,” he said in Filipino.
In the latest situational report released early Tuesday, the NDRRMC said 2,859 families or 11,264 individuals from Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Aurora, Antique, Negros Occidental, and Apayao were evacuated.
Of these, 3,484 or 877 families were staying in evacuation centers.
NDRRMC said that a total of P1.8 million worth of assistance was provided across Region 2, Region 3, MIMAROPA, Region 6, and CAR. These consisted of bottled water, family food packs, hygiene kits, meals, cash, and relief goods.
NDRRMC added that they are monitoring power interruptions in Abra, Mountain Province, and Ifugao.
Meanwhile, an island in Batanes has been suffering a total blackout according to the Provincial Administrator and Emergency Operations Center.
A report on ANC said Sabtang Island suffered a blackout when a tanker that was supposed to deliver fuel was stranded in Pangasinan due to heavy seas.
Elsewhere, a warehouse in Cagayan Economic Zone Authority collapsed due to strong rain and wind. Cagayan Gov. Manuel Mamba said the collapsed warehouse was the only reported damage in CEZA.
At least two houses in Central Luzon were reported damaged.
A total of 104 domestic flights and 17 international flights were canceled in the National Capital Region.
Cebu Pacific Air and its sister airline CebGo on Tuesday suspended 40 flights due to bad weather conditions brought on by typhoon Betty.
In Manila, those affected were CEB and CebGo flights going to and from Tuguegarao, Cauayan, Busuanga, Coron, Laoag, Masbate, Naga, and San Jose.
Also canceled were four CebGo’s flights in Cebu to and from Coron, and CEB’s Manila flight to and from Taipei.
The NDRRMC also said 47 seaports were non-operational in Calabarzon, MIMAROPA, Bicol, Western Visayas, and Eastern Visayas. Due to this, 222 passengers and 122 rolling cargoes were stranded.
A total of 254 classes and 80 work schedules were suspended due to the typhoon.
In Arakan, Cotabato, a highway had been temporarily closed due to rocks and soil blocking the road after a landslide.
The local government said the soil softened with high saturation of water due to days of rain in the area.
In General Santos City, four houses were destroyed by strong winds. No one was reported hurt in the incident.
In Baler, Aurora, strong waves hit and destroyed some houses and damaged the seawall. The water reportedly washed away the food, clothes, and school supplies.
Stormy weather will prevail in Northern Luzon even as Betty weakened, the weather bureau said Tuesday.
In its latest weather update, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Batanes and Cagayan are forecast to experience stormy weather, while rains with gusty winds will prevail over Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Isabela, and Aurora.
Betty is packing maximum sustained winds of 155 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 190 kph.
Flooding or landslides due to moderate to heavy to intense, with at times torrential rains, are likely. Minor to moderate threats to lives and properties due to strong winds are also possible, PAGASA said.
Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) No. 2 is still hoisted over Batanes and the northeastern portion of Cagayan (Santa Ana, Gonzaga), including the Babuyan Islands.
TCWS No. 1 is hoisted over the rest of mainland Cagayan, the northern and eastern portions of Isabela (Santo Tomas, Santa Maria, Quezon, San Mariano, Dinapigue, Delfin Albano, San Pablo, Ilagan City, Benito Soliven, Tumauini, Cabagan, Palanan, Quirino, Divilacan, Gamu, Maconacon, Naguilian, Mallig), the eastern portion of Ilocos Norte (Piddig, Bangui, Vintar, Marcos, Pagudpud, Banna, Adams, Carasi, Dingras, Solsona, Dumalneg, Nueva Era), Apayao, the northern portion of Kalinga (City of Tabuk, Balbalan, Pinukpuk, Rizal), and the northeastern portion of Abra (Tineg, Lacub, Malibcong).
Betty was last tracked 350 km east of Basco, Batanes, moving north-northwestward at 10 kph. It is expected to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility by Friday.
Meanwhile, Betty and the southwest monsoon or “habagat” will cause scattered rain showers and thunderstorms over Mimaropa, Western Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, the rest of Ilocos Region, and the rest of Cagayan Valley.
The southwest monsoon is also forecast to cause isolated rain showers over Metro Manila and the rest of the country, PAGASA said.
The seaboards of Northern Luzon, and the eastern seaboard of Central Luzon will have rough to high seas. These conditions are risky for all types of sea vessels, thus mariners are advised to remain in port or take shelter in port until winds and waves subside.
Rough to very rough seas will prevail over the seaboard of Southern Luzon and the western, central, and eastern seaboards of the Visayas.
Fishing boats and other small sea vessels are advised not to venture into the sea, and larger sea vessels are alerted against big waves.