Typhoon spawns lahar flows, landslides
MANILA, Philippines — Super Typhoon Rolly (international name Goni) the world’s strongest tropical cyclone so far this year pounded Southern Luzon yesterday with ferocious winds and intense rains, killing at least seven people.
As Rolly continued to plow through parts of Luzon, Tropical Storm Siony (Atsani) entered the Philippine area of responsibility, but state weathermen said it is unlikely to affect the country in the next two to three days.
Torrential rains spawned by Rolly triggered lahar flow from Mayon Volcano and massive flooding in Albay, while storm surges hit parts of Quezon.
Metro Manila also experienced light to moderate with occasional heavy rains and strong winds as the eye of Rolly passed near the capital.
The typhoon was expected to cross the Batangas-Cavite area late afternoon through evening yesterday, bringing destructive winds and intense rainfall.
Rolly was forecast to be 70 kilometers south of Metro Manila between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. It was expected to exit the landmass of mainland Luzon and move toward the West Philippine Sea last night.
With peak winds reaching 225 kilometers per hour, Rolly is the strongest cyclone to hit the Philippines since Super Typhoon Lawin in 2015, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.
But the US’ Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) estimated Rolly’s maximum sustained winds to be 195 miles per hour or 315 kph, matching the peak wind speed of Super Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) in November 2013 that killed 6,300 people in Eastern Visayas.
PAGASA said Yolanda had maximum sustained winds of 235 kph.
PAGASA and the JTWC use different standards in classifying cyclones. The JTWC uses one-minute average readings for a cyclone’s wind speed, while PAGASA has lower figures as it uses 10-minute readings.
Rolly weakened into a typhoon after making landfall over Bato, Catanduanes and Tiwi, Albay yesterday morning and in San Narciso, Quezon at around noon.
Signal No. 5 – the highest tropical cyclone wind signal – was raised over parts of the Bicol region early yesterday.
Rolly’s maximum sustained wind, however, weakened to 165 kph as of 4 p.m.
As of 5 p.m., signal No. 3 was hoisted over the southern portion of Zambales, Bataan, southern portion of Pampanga, southern portion of Bulacan, Rizal, Quezon including Polillo islands, Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Marinduque, northwestern portion of Occidental Mindoro including Lubang island, and the northern portion of Oriental Mindoro.
Signal No. 2 was raised over the rest of Zambales, the rest of Pampanga, the rest of Bulacan, southern portion of Tarlac, the rest of Occidental Mindoro, the rest of Oriental Mindoro, and the southern portion of Nueva Ecija.
Signal No. 1 was up in mainland Cagayan, Isabela, Apayao, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Abra, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Benguet, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, the rest of Aurora, the rest of Nueva Ecija, the rest of Tarlac, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Burias Island, Romblon and Calamian Islands.
AFTERMATH OF SUPER TYPHOON ROLLY IN CATANDUANES #rollyph #goni#NasaanAngPangulo #NasaanAngCatanduanes
— BE ⟭⟬ ⁷⏻N:E (@BeenThereSnce13) November 1, 2020
(c) philip tagoo pic.twitter.com/LOFiw9SDtB
Deaths, lahar warning
Rolly has left at least seven people killed in its wake in the province of Albay, according to the NDRRMC.
There was one death each reported in the municipalities of Daraga, Guinobatan, Oas, Polangui and Tabaco City.
There were two deaths in the municipality of Malinao.
The NDRRMC said they are still awaiting details on the cause of deaths for each of the incidents.
Yesterday, Albay Gov. Al Francis Bichara said they accounted for four of the seven deaths in the province, three of which were due to a broken dike.
This includes a five-year-old child who he said may have been swept away by the heavy current.
The other person was killed due to a fallen tree.
Bichira said they have also noted lahar flows from Mount Mayon, which he likened to an avalanche.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology earlier warned that Rolly was expected to generate lahar in the active volcanoes of Mayon, Pinatubo and Taal.