‘Reming’ spares Metro

Super typhoon "Reming" (international code name Durian) changed course yesterday and spared Metro Manila.

Diverting from its original path after hitting Albay, Reming is expected to pass through Ragay Gulf, with the provinces of Batangas, Mindoro, Marinduque and coastal areas in Panay bearing the brunt of the super howler.

"This means the storm could remain as strong or grow stronger (as it passes through Ragay Gulf)," said Nathaniel Cruz, chief weather forecaster of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.

Pagasa officer-in-charge Prisco Nilo said the high- pressure area in the South China Sea pushed Reming downward.

"We already suspected that Reming was changing its track early in the morning, but we confirmed that early in the afternoon (yesterday)," Nilo said.

Reming was supposed to hit Metro Manila today, forcing officials to suspend classes.

Disaster officials, however, warned that the fury of Reming will still be felt in Metro Manila as it hits the Southern Tagalog provinces today.

"Metro Manila is still in peril. We should not relax. Manila was saved from the eye of the storm but we will still be affected by the storm’s circulation," Cruz said.

"There is a big possibility it may maintain its strength or intensify as it moves westward," before deteriorating as it blows out into the South China Sea, he said.

Reming still packed maximum sustained winds of 190 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 225 kph, Pagasa said. The howler was moving west northwest at the speed of 15 kph.

Public storm signal number 4 remained over Catanduanes, Albay and Camarines provinces yesterday while signal number 3 was still raised over Sorsogon, Burias Island, Quezon province, Polillo Island and Marinduque.

Signal number 2 remained over Masbate, Romblon, Mindoro provinces, Lubang Island, Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Bulacan, Aurora, Bataan, Northern Samar and Metro Manila.

Signal number 1 was still in effect over Zambales, Pampanga, Tarlac, Pangasinan, Nueva Vizcaya, Nueva Ecija, Quirino, Isabela, the rest of Samar, Calamian Group of islands and Biliran.

There were no immediate reports of casualties in Catanduanes, after authorities ordered the evacuation of coastal areas, according to Office of Civil Defense Deputy Administrator Arthur Golez.

He said initial reports indicated many people went to relatives’ houses on higher ground and about 120 sought shelter at the provincial capital.

Some Catanduanes residents described the winds as so strong it felt like an earthquake.

Catanduanes officials were difficult to contact apparently because of downed communication lines but in Naga City, where the typhoon passed in the afternoon, officials said they received reports of small houses being blown away by the strong winds.

Rescuers struggled against dangerously strong winds to rescue several residents whose roofs were blown off, exposing them to rain and flying metal sheets and other debris, Naga Mayor Jessie Robredo said.

Many residents whose houses were damaged by winds sought help from authorities by sending text messages as telephone lines were downed, he said.

"I’ve received (text) messages of 10 small houses being blown away by the wind and many others getting damaged," Robredo said.

"The wind was very strong and I expect heavy damage to properties and public facilities," he said.

About 1,500 residents were evacuated to emergency shelters ahead of the typhoon in Naga City, mostly mountain dwellers fearing possible landslides, Robredo said.

Timely response

Disaster officials said Reming, the fourth to hit the country in as many months, also downed power lines in the Bicol region, causing widespread blackouts.

Electricity was also cut off in the eastern province of Camarines Sur and Naga City as a precautionary measure in the event power lines are knocked down, a local power distributor said.

Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla said contingency measures have been implemented ahead of the typhoon.

Lotilla said the National Transmission Corp. (Transco) had already deployed its line crews and power restoration equipment in affected areas in Bicol to restore power as soon as the typhoon passes over.

Authorities said power was temporarily shut down in Quezon as a precautionary measure against typhoon damage to transmission towers.

The typhoon also left thousands of passengers stranded in Bicol and Southern Tagalog regions after the Philippine Coast Guard ordered the suspension of ferry operations where lower storm alerts are still in force, the Coast Guard warned.

The Coast Guard said over 1,000 passengers have been stranded in Bicol and Southern Luzon areas.

Some local airline flights to the affected region were also canceled.

Four Northwest Airlines flights going to and from Japan were also grounded yesterday due to the strong winds brought by the typhoon.

More than 25 provinces, including Metro Manila, are under storm alerts.

Schools have been readied to serve as evacuation centers while heavy equipment is in place to clear up roads in the event of landslides, officials said.

President Arroyo assured the public that the authorities were prepared "to ensure timely and well-coordinated response in areas that could be affected," by the storm.

Mrs. Arroyo also ordered military and police officials along with the Departments of Social Welfare and Health to make sure personnel would be in place "in vulnerable communities for possible evacuation and relief operations."

Golez added all local governments and agencies in the affected areas have been alerted for emergency operations.

He said the NDCC also has directed billboard owners to pull down their tarpaulins to prevent a repeat of the collapse of such structures when typhoon "Milenyo" (Xangsane) hit Metro Manila in September.

The country is still recovering from typhoon (Paeng) Cimaron, the strongest to hit in more than 10 years, which left 38 people dead or missing late last month.

Metro Manila received a direct hit, the first in more than a decade, from typhoon Milenyo, causing widespread damage and leaving parts of the metropolis without electricity for days.

By the time Milenyo left the country, more than 200 people were dead and the damage wrought running into the millions of pesos. -With Jaime Laude, Edu Punay, Rainier Allan Ronda, Donnabelle Gatdula, AFP, AP