Around 153,000 individuals were affected due to the impact of Severe Tropical Storm “Nika” in five regions in Luzon, including 17,000 people who fled their homes, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said Tuesday, Nov. 12.
Nika affected a total of 153,643 individuals (36,788 families) in Ilocos Region (Region 1), Cagayan Valley (Region 2), Central Luzon (Region 3), Bicol Region (Region 5), and Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).
Of this, 17,070 individuals were staying in evacuation centers and being assisted by the government.
No casualty has been reported so far but the NDRRMC remains on alert as a new tropical storm named “Ofel” entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Tuesday morning.
In a press conference hosted by the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) in Camp Aguinaldo, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) urged residents in Northern Luzon to exercise caution regarding the risk of landslides in areas experiencing ground saturation due to consecutive typhoons.
PAGASA Assistant Weather Services Chief Chris Perez emphasized that regardless of whether the upcoming rainfall is light to moderate or moderate to heavy, the likelihood of isolated landslides and flash floods is significantly heightened due to ground saturation.
“Moderate to heavy rains are expected in Ilocos Norte and Cagayan. We wish to remind our countrymen of the possibility of landslides in low-lying areas and those near the rivers,” Perez said.
The rainfall from Severe Tropical Storm Nika, measured from 8 a.m. of Nov. 11 to 5 a.m. of Nov. 12, indicated that moderate to heavy rainfall has primarily affected Northern Luzon.
As of the 11 a.m. tropical cyclone bulletin from PAGASA, Nika was located 225 kilometers northwest of Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, moving west-northwest at 10 km/h, with maximum sustained winds of 95 km/h near the center and gusts of up to 115 km/h.
Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 remains in effect for the northern portion of Ilocos Norte, the northern portion of Apayao, the northwestern portion of Cagayan, and the northwestern portion of the Babuyan Islands.
Nika is forecast to exit PAR this afternoon.
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Ofel was spotted 1,105 kilometers east of Eastern Visayas. It is moving west-northwest at 35 km/h, with maximum sustained winds of 75 km/h and gusts of up to 90 km/h.
PAGASA indicated that Ofel may reach typhoon status and could make landfall in either Northern or Central Luzon on Thursday, Nov. 14.
Additionally, another tropical cyclone, expected to be named “Pepito”, is anticipated to enter PAR and move generally westward toward the Bicol Region and Eastern Visayas area within the week.
Director Albert Mogol, chief of the OCD in Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), said they were advising residents in evacuation centers to stay put and refrain from going back to their homes due to the threat of Ofel and Pepito.
“We are advising them to stay in the evacuation centers. Ofel has just entered PAR that’s why we see to it that our logistics and supply lines are continuously moving. We make sure that our food and non-food relief items are being replenished to sustain the needs of the evacuees,” he said.
CAR was among the hardest hit by Nika. There were 153 barangays affected in the region, and a total of 10,876 individuals (4,024 families) were affected, including around 3,800 individuals who were displaced by the storm.