Govt worries over ‘Hanna,’ monsoon

By NITZ ARANCON, Correspondent

DISASTER riskeduction groups in Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental raised alert levels as “Hanna,” billed as a super typhoon with the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane, entered Philippine territory yesterday.

The strongest tropical cyclone anywhere on the planet so far this year hovered some 1,380 kilometers  east of the Calayaan group of islands in Cagayan Valley, Northern  Luzon, but it could enhance the southwest monsoon in Mindanao. That, according to Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) weather Specialist Luz Mercado, could be a recipe for disaster.

Pagasa sounded the alarm as Hanna entered Philippine territory at around 10 am, packing maximum winds of 195 kilometers per hour with gustiness of 235 kilometers per hour as it headed towards Taiwan.

Mercado said the super typhoon is seen not to move out of the Philippine area until Sunday.

Mercado said Pagasa expects more downpours that could result in floodings and landslides across Mindanao as the super typhoon interacts with the Southwest monsoon, a system of winds that could be a breeding ground for low pressure areas and storms.

Mercado warned people living in low-lying areas, near shores, and rivers.

She said the downpours were likely to take place during afternoons.

“Ang hanging habagat nga gikan sa southeast mobangga kini sa hangin nga dala ni bagyong Hanna didto sa northeast, ma-oy hinongdan nga makatigom kinig kusog ug daghang moisture gikan sa dagat ug maka-create sa baga Cumulonimbus clouds (dark clouds)nga mo resulta sa kusog nga ulan labina panahon sa hapon,” Mercado said.

She said Cumulonimbus clouds, which form from moisture from the ocean, are what bring the heavy downpours.

“Expect floodings the moment it rains hard in the uplands when there’s a high tide,” she said.

The Pagasa warning prompted local disaster riskeduction groups to mobilize and prepare for floodings and landslides.

Allan Porcadilla, City Disaster Risk-Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO) officer, said city hall has been on “blue alert” since Tuesday night, hours before Hanna entered Philippine territory.

A blue alert means CDRRMO workers are on standby-mode and are to monitor the situation in shifts 24 hours a day.

City hall has three CDRRMO teams that man the monitoring station every eight hours during normal days. But when on blue alert, two teams man the monitoring station and are prepared to respond at a moment’s notice.

Porcadilla noted that the super typhoon was too far from Mindanao but the CDRRMO, would not take chances.

The Misamis Oriental Disaster Risk-Reduction Management office under Fernando Dy Jr. is also doing the same thing. Dy said the capitol sees the monsoon rains as a threat, and the alarm bells have been sounded in all of Misamis Oriental, including the cities of Gingoog and El Salvador.

Pagasa weather forecaster Aldczar Aurelio said “Hanna” was not expected to make landfall in any part of the country but would enhance the southwest monsoon or “habagat.”

Luzon, including Metro Manila, would likely experience fair with partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated thunderstorms.

The stateun weather bureau issued a gale warning due to the effects of southwest monsoon enhanced by the passing typhoon as sea condition would be rough to very rough due to strong to gale force winds that would affect the seaboard of Mindanao and eastern seaboards of Visayas. (with reports from pna)