National Weather Service announced on Saturday that a Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) No. 1 has been raised over the eastern regions of the provinces of Cagayan and Isabela because Super Typhoon Betty kept up her strength.

The National Weather Service announced on Saturday that a Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) No. 1 has been raised over the eastern regions of the provinces of Cagayan and Isabela because Super Typhoon Betty kept up her strength.

Hurricane Betty, also known by her international name, Mawar, made landfall in the Philippines at 2:00 in the morning, packing maximum sustained winds of 195 kilometers per hour near its core and gustiness of up to 240 kilometers per hour.

As of eleven in the morning, it was located 1,170 kilometers east of Central Luzon.

TCWS No. 1 has been erected over Santa Ana, Gonzaga, Lal-Lo, Gattaran, Baggao, Peñablanca, Santa Teresita, Buguey, encompassing Babuyan and Camiguin Islands in Cagayan; and Maconacon, Divilacan, Dinapigue, Palanan, San Mariano, Ilagan City, Tumauini, San Pablo, and Cabagan in Isabela.

According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the affected areas may be subjected to winds of 39 to 61 kilometers per hour for at least 36 hours, or they may be subjected to intermittent showers for at least 36 hours.

The next twenty-four hours will bring seas that are expected to be moderately to very rough over the eastern seaboards of Luzon and the Visayas, with the possibility that they may become rough to very rough.

It’s possible that the northern coast of Luzon could have moderate to rough seas until the afternoon, and then rough seas starting Saturday night.

When sailing out onto the open water in a small vessel, the captains of those vessels have been instructed to take safety precautions. According to PAGASA, they should make every effort to avoid navigation in these conditions if at all possible.

On Sunday, the bureau of meteorology predicted monsoon rains to fall across the western half of Mimaropa, the Visayas, and Mindanao. These rains would be caused by an increased southwest monsoon.

According to PAGASA, it is anticipated that Betty would keep the same level of intensity during the following 36 to 48 hours; however, a short-term intensification cannot be ruled out.

Meanwhile, due to the bad weather on Saturday, Philippine Airlines flights PR 437/438 between Manila and Nagoya, as well as CebGo flights 6881/6882 Manila-Surigao-Manila, were canceled. ALL OF THE HANDS. Super Typhoon Betty entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Saturday, May 27, 2023, and as a result, both the national government and local government units have been armed and are prepared to deal with the storm. During the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City, Department of the Interior and Local Government Director Edgar Allan Tabell, state weather bureau PAGASA officer-in-charge Esperanza Cayanan, Department of Social Welfare and Development spokesperson Assistant Secretary Romel Lopez, and Office of Civil Defense Joint Information Center chief Diego Mariano (from left to right) enumerated their preparations. (Photo by Ferdinand G. Patinio for the Philippine News Agency)

Funds, as well as relief products ready to go:

Officials from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the Office of Civil Defense/National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRMMC) gave assurances that they are ready to respond to the effects of the tropical cyclone during the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City.

Romel Lopez, Assistant Secretary and spokeswoman for the Department of Social and Welfare Development (DSWD), stated that they had allotted more than 2 billion pesos worth of relief assistance. This includes 597 million pesos worth of easily available funds, 525 million pesos worth of quick response funds, 500 million pesos worth of family food packs, and 819 million pesos worth of non-food packs.

According to Lopez, the population that could be affected by the storms is projected to be 1.5 million, with approximately 88,000 households or families; meanwhile, there are 294,000 food packs ready to be distributed for a period of three weeks.

Rice, corned meat, sardines, cereals, and instant coffee are all included in each individual food box. Lopez stated that “we are here to provide assistance and ready to augment the assistance from the local government units (LGUs).”

Initial preparations by LGUs

In the meantime, Director of the DILG Edgar Allan Tabell stated that local government units had been preparing all week.

“We have been coordinating with them as they are provided with information from PAGASA,” said Tabell. He made note of the fact that some regions had also instituted preventative evacuation.

“In Batanes and Cagayan, they will probably begin preemptive evacuation today (Saturday), and they will also start it in other areas in Northern Luzon,” he said. “This is just a precaution.”

Tabell encouraged the general people to investigate whether or not additional precipitation could be brought on by the “habagat” (southwest monsoon).

According to Diego Mariano, who is the chief of the OCD Joint Information Center, they are in continual cooperation with the military, the police, the Bureau of Fire Protection, and the Philippine Coast Guard. A backup fund in the amount of PHP244 million is maintained by the OCD/NDRRMC.

Betty is likely to arrive in Basco, Batanes by Monday, according to Esperanza Cayanan, the official in charge of PAGASA.

Blue alert

While this is going on, the province of La Union and the neighboring provinces in the Ilocos Region have been placed on blue alert, which is equivalent to standby.

In a phone interview on Saturday, the head of the warning and dispatch unit for the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, Michael Angelo Dy Yaco, stated that the office’s equipment and personnel are on standby. In addition to their information drive on social media, emergency rescue hotline 911, and evacuation centers, the office also has an information drive on social media.

The municipality of Agoo issued an Executive Order prohibiting the sale of alcoholic beverages prior to the arrival of typhoons, floods, torrents, and other natural disasters. The municipality of Balaoan temporarily shuttered the tourist destination of Immuki Island, and the municipality of San Gabriel declared Tangadan Falls off limits beginning at noon on Saturday.

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