ILOILO City – The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) warned that the effects of Super Typhoon Inday (international name: Bavi) are expected to affect Western Visayas, with localized flooding and intensified southwest monsoon rains posing the primary threats even as the cyclone is not expected to make landfall in the country.
Inday entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) at 3 a.m. on Wednesday.
Atty. Melissa Banias, chief of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Division and chief of the Operations Section of OCD Region 6, said authorities must closely monitor the super typhoon’s movement based on forecasts from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
“Although wala ini sang significant impact, magapabilin ang localized thunderstorms that will last around one to two hours. So, ini ginabantayan man kay ini nga mga localized thunderstorms puede makatuga sang baha,” Banias said.
OCD-6’s 24/7 Operations Center continues to monitor developments, while the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) may activate an appropriate alert status should the need arises. Such an alert would guide local government units in implementing emergency measures, including preemptive evacuations in flood- and landslide-prone communities.
Despite Super Typhoon Inday’s strength, Banias urged residents not to panic, stressing that current forecasts indicate the cyclone is expected to track toward the Batanes area in northern Luzon.
PAGASA, however, said the cyclone will enhance the southwest monsoon, bringing heavy rains to northern and western sections of the country beginning Thursday.
As of 5 a.m. yesterday, tropical cyclone wind signal No. 1 was up in seven provinces – Batanes, Cagayan (including Babuyan Islands), northern and central Isabela, Apayao, eastern Kalinga, northern Aurora, and northern and central Catanduanes.
Inday continues to pack sustained winds of 185 kilometers per hour with gustiness up to 230 kph. It is moving westward at 25 kph.
The super typhoon may maintain its intensity while moving generally west northwestward over the Philippine Sea through Thursday./PN
