Bising enters Philippines, threatens Bicol, Eastern Visayas

MANILA, Philippines — Residents of Bicol and Eastern Visayas have been warned to brace for strong winds and heavy rains due to Typhoon Bising (international name Surigae), which entered the Philippine area of responsibility yesterday.

“It is likely that winds and heavy rains associated with this tropical cyclone will begin affecting portions of Eastern Visayas and Bicol regions tomorrow,” the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said in its weather bulletin.

Tropical cyclone wind signal 1 was expected to be raised over some areas in Northern Samar and Eastern Samar last night in anticipation of the strong breeze to near gale conditions.

PAGASA said Bising, the second tropical cyclone to enter the country this year, would bring rough to very rough seas of up to 4.5 meters over the eastern seaboards of the Visayas and Mindanao.

The weather disturbance entered the Philippine area of responsibility as a severe tropical storm at around 6:20 a.m. It intensified into a typhoon at 8 a.m.

“Bising will move generally west-northwest until Monday... It is forecast to turn northeast,” PAGASA said.

The agency said the typhoon is expected to ”steadily intensify” in the next three days.

As of 3 p.m. yesterday, the center of Bising was located 895 kilometers east of Surigao City. It packed winds of 130 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 160 kph.

The typhoon was moving west-northwest at 15 kph.

PAGASA senior weather specialist Raymond Ordinario said the extension of the trough of Bising was expected to bring rains and thunderstorms over Eastern Visayas, Caraga and Davao in the next 24 hours.

Ordinario said PAGASA is not ruling out the possibility of a landfall in the Visayas if the ridge of a high-pressure area north of the typhoon would remain.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) suspended land and sea travel to the Visayas and Mindanao through ports in Bicol due to the typhoon.

The DOTr said the travel suspension was approved by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council-Emergency Operations Center. – Richmond Mercurio