Typhoon Saola Places Some Parts Of Doksuri-Beaten Northern Philippines Under Hurricane Category 2

Typhoon Saola, which is expected to continue pouring heavy rain across parts of the northern Philippines through Thursday, has placed a large swath of the Doksuri-hit region under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) No. 1, which is equivalent to a category 2 hurricane.

In its latest weather report, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said that while the typhoon, locally called Goring, has weakened overnight, "flooding and rain-induced landslides are still expected especially in areas that are highly or very highly susceptible to these hazards."

Typhoon Saola is enhancing the southwest monsoon, Pagasa said, adding that monsoon rains are expected in the western portions of central Luzon, southern Luzon and Visayas over the next three days.

On Sunday afternoon, the Cagayan Task Force Lingkod Cagayan (TFLC) conducted monitoring in areas where rice fields were flooded by heavy rains, specifically in Tuguegarao. Photos posted on the task force's Facebook page show some areas with flood waters reaching the knees.

In Gattaran, also a part of Cagayan, many rice fields were submerged after water from the mountains came down Sunday. In Baggao, a bridge remains unpassable due to the flood. Flooding has also reached some schools in the area.

In Narvacan, Ilocos Sur, an entire house near a river was taken down by strong currents Saturday. A video shows how the house crumbled as river currents reached the structure. Residents of the house were able to escape before the house went down, local media reported.

Forced evacuations were conducted in Brgy. Cabuluan, Cagayan after cracks at the Small Water Impounding Project (SWIP) were detected Sunday.

As of Sunday evening, a total of 7,919 individuals have been affected so far by Typhoon Goring. More than 1,900 people are inside evacuation centers, and 13 roads are impassable. The estimated damage so far is at P40 million (approximately $706,102), as per data from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC). No deaths linked to Goring have been reported so far.

Cagayan was placed under a state of calamity last month due to the devastation brought about by super typhoon Doksuri, locally called Egay. At least 29 people were killed by Egay, and infrastructure damage hit P7 billion (approximately $123 million).

Meanwhile, Philippine authorities continue to monitor Goring's movements. It was elevated into a super typhoon Saturday but was downgraded to a typhoon Sunday.

The following areas are under TCWS No. 1 and are expected to experience maximum sustained winds of 155 kilometers per hour (96 miles per hour) and gusts of up to 190 kilometers per hour (118 miles per hour):

• Batanes
• Babuyan Islands
• Mainland Cagayan (Camalaniugan, Pamplona, Gonzaga, Santa Teresita, Baggao, Buguey, Santa Ana, Claveria, Sanchez-Mira, Allacapan, Aparri, Ballesteros, Abulug, Lal-Lo, Penablanca, Gattaran, Alcala, Lasam, Iguig and Amulung)
• Isabela (Dinapigue, San Guillermo, Ilagan City, San Mariano, San Pablo, Tumauini, Baler, Dilasag, Dinalungan, Maria Aurora, San Luis and Dipaculao)
• Camarines Norte (Jose Panganiban, Mercedes, Capalonga, Talisay, Vinzons, Daet, and Paracale)
• Calaguas Islands
• Camarines Sur (Simura, Garchitorena, Caramoan, Tinambac and Lagonoy)
• Catanduanes (Bagamanoc, Caramoran, Panganiban and Pandan)

On Monday, the following areas are expected to experience gusty conditions due to the Goring-enhanced southwest monsoon:

• Aurora
• Bataan
• Metro Manila
• CALABARZON
• MIMAROPA
• Bicol region
• Visayas
• Dinagat Islands
• Camiguin
• Most of the Zamboanga Peninsula.

Typhoon Goring is forecast to move northeastward and northward through Tuesday before closing in on Taiwan between Wednesday evening and Thursday morning.

The typhoon is then expected to leave the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) by Thursday morning or afternoon.