MANILA -- Landslide-prone roads were closed to traffic and classes were suspended in Cagayan and Isabela provinces on Friday, authorities said, as they braced for Tropical Storm Ramon (international name: Kalmaegi).

Work in government and private offices in Isabela were also suspended on Friday to allow parents to prepare for the storm, Governor Rodito Albano III told DZMM.

"Kinakatakutan natin dito yung volume of rain kasi yung hangin mahina naman," he said.

Several landslide prone areas in the province were also closed to motorists, Albano said.

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The Isabela provincial government is monitoring Magat Dam to check if residents in low-lying areas need to be evacuated, he said.

Cagayan has been on red alert since Thursday to ensure that residents are prepared, Gov. Manuel Mamba said in a separate interview.

Classes in pre-school were suspended early Friday morning, he said.

"Valley kami... talagang prone kami sa erosion at flooding ng mga tulay (We're in a valley that's why we're prone to erosion and flooding)," he said.

As of 5 a.m., Ramon was last seen 445 kilometers east of Casiguran, Aurora as of 4 a.m., packing 75 kph winds and 90 kph gusts, according to state weather bureau PAGASA.

Signal number 1 remains hoisted over the southeastern portion of Cagayan, eastern portion of Isabela, northern part of Aurora and Polillo Island. Ramon is expected to hit the Cagayan-Isabela area on Sunday at the earliest.