Rescuers ferry stranded residents from their flooded houses at a village in Ilagan town, Isabela province on November 12, 2024, a day after Typhoon Nika hit the province. The Philippines issued fresh weather warnings on November 12 as the fifth major storm in three weeks bore down on the archipelago, days after thousands were evacuated ahead of Nika. Villamor Visaya, AFP  

MANILA — Thousands of people who fled to evacuation centers during the onslaught of typhoon Nika were advised to refrain from going home on Tuesday as tropical storm Ofel threatened Luzon. 

Some 4,024 families or 10,876 individuals were affected by Nika and last week’s typhoon Marce in the Cordilleras. Around 812 families remained in 75 evacuation centers in the region, the Office of Civil Defense said. 

“Inaabisuhan namin na manatili muna sila, kasi ngayon pong hapon ay papasok na sa Philippine Area of Responsibility [ang bagyong Ofel],” OCD Cordillera Regional Director Albert Mogol meanwhile said.

“Ang ating logistics and supply lines ay pinapanatili natin na continuous yung pagdating ng food and non-food items para makasustain sa pangangailangan ng mga nasa evacuation centers. Pero ito ay ang desisyon ay nasa LGUs because they know the situation more on the ground,” he continued.

Thousands flee as fourth typhoon in a month hits Philippines

The OCD also issued several advisories to postpone tourism-related activities and mining operations in areas expected to be hit by Ofel.

“Naglabas na kami ulit ng panibagong advisory na kung sakali yung bumalik ng kanilang mga tahanan ay inaalerto na namin ang mga local disaster risk reduction and management councils na irevisit po ang kanilang preemptive evacuation protocol,” Mogol said. 

“Meron naman kaming advisory, yung travel po, yung tourism ay sana ipagpaliban muna nila yung pagpunta nila dito sa area ng Northern Luzon dahil sa walang tigil na ulan, ganundin po ang mga tourism activities. Sa mga mining sites may abiso na rin tayo, particularly sa municipality ng Mankayan at Itogon sa Benguet and yung mga trekking activities ay dinidiscourage namin sa mga kabundukan sa Cordillera,” he added. 

In total, Nika affected 36,788 families or 153,643 individuals in five regions, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said. 

In its latest situational report, the NDRRMC said these families were from 329 barangays in Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Bicol and Cordillera Administrative Region.

Some 14,971 people took shelter in 246 evacuation centers, while another 2,099 were staying with family and friends.

The agency has yet to release a report on the number of fatalities and casualties, and damage due to Nika.

Typhoon Nika batters Northern Luzon with heavy rain and strong winds

OFEL’S THREAT 

Ofel will intensify into a typhoon as it moves west northwestward over the Philippine Sea, said state weather bureau PAGASA. 

The potential typhoon may make landfall over northern or central Luzon, PAGASA senior weather specialist Chris Perez said, 

warning residents of possible flashfloods and landslides, especially in areas badly hit by the previous cyclones.

“We have informed the concerned agencies about the possible effects doon sa previously affected, which are most parts of the northern and central Luzon,” Perez said in a televised briefing on Tuesday.

“The last three weeks, may mga bagyong direktang nakaapekto sa dalawang rehiyon na ito: northern and central Luzon. Ngayong linggo, may isa nanamang makakaapekto, so regardless of the track, ang banta ng flashfloods at landslides ay nananatili po, lalo na kung saturated na ang inyong lugar. Dahil sa mga ulang nagdaan, maaaring loose na ang soil condition, lalo na sa paanan ng bundok,” he said. 

Tropical Storm Ofel enters PAR as Nika weakens, moves away

Office of Civil Defense-Cagayan Valley Director Leon Rafael said most of the residents continue to stay in evacuation centers as the region braces for Ofel.

“Hinahalintulad namin ang malalakas na bagyo na dumating dito para mapaghandaan nila [mga residente]... ‘Yun ang inuuna namin na dapat lumikas na bago dumating ang bagyo sa amin dito sa Cagayan, kaya ang aming pre-emptive evacuation ay palaki nang palaki po dahil ang mga kababayan natin ay talagang sumusunod sa LGUs at lahat ng advisories na binibigay sa kanila,” Rafael said during the briefing.

“Ang areas na talagang susceptible pa rin ay hindi pinapayagan ng ating LGUs kasi lubhang mapanganib po iyon. Kung dumaan na ang bagyo, hindi pa rin pinapabalik sila kasi ang pagbaba ng tubig ulan mula sa kabundukan ay maaaring magdulot ng pagbaha… Pinapayuhan namin ang LGUs na siguruhin muna ang kaligtasan ng ating mga kababayan. Di bale nang magtagal sila sa evacuation centers basta’t ligtas lamang po sila, lalo’t sunud-sunod po ang mga bagyong dumarating dito sa amin sa Lambak Cagayan,” he added.

DAMS RELEASE WATER 

According to PAGASA, major dams in Northern Luzon continued to release water to prevent flooding in lowland communities as incoming typhoons are expected to dump more water in the coming days.

PAGASA hydrologist Elmer Caringal said these include the Ambuklao and Binga dams in Benguet, San Roque dam in Pangasinan, and the Magat dam in Isabela.

“Ngayon po diretso pa rin ang pagpapakawala ng tubig kasi nga po although, konti na lang na ulan ang naoobserve doon, yung pagdaan ng (bagyo) yung malalakas na ulan na dala nya, which is yung iba po nasa bundok pa and kasalukuyan pong bumababa patungo sa ating reservoir ito nga po yung Ambuklao, Binga, San Roque, at ang Magat sa Cagayan River Basin,” Caringal said.

“San Roque tolerable pa sya sa mga kailugan natin kaya hindi naman masyadong nakakaapekto,” he said. 

Caringal said that while the release of water from Ambuklao, Binga, and San Roque was not expected to bring flooding in Pangasinan, the opening of the spillway of the Magat dam is being monitored for causing floods in the towns of Alfonso Lista in Ifugao province; and Ramon, San Mateo, Cabatuan, Luna, Reyna Mercedes, Burgos, Naguilian, and Gamu in the province of Isabela. 

“Ang atin pong binabantayan ay itong Magat. Kasi po itong Magat sa Isabela na nabagsakan sya ng maraming pag-ulan so medyo marami pong tubig ang pinapakawalan kasi nga po kailangang-kailangan para hindi nya maabot ang normal high na 193 (meters) so maraming volume ng tubig ang pinapakawalan. Medyo malakas po talaga ang tubig na bumagsak sa watershed ng Cagayan,” he said.

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