Pagasa: ‘Ramil’ to hit 4 provinces; 7 areas under signal 1

At least four provinces in Northern Luzon may be hit hardest by typhoon “Ramil" (Lupit) when it makes landfall later this week, state weather forecasters said Tuesday.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) has placed seven areas under Signal No. 1 as the cyclone drew near North Luzon Tuesday.

“Yung dadaanan mismo, base sa data available as of this morning, ay ang Cagayan, Apayao, Ilocos Norte at Batanes (Based on our data as of this morning, it will likely hit Cagayan, Apayao, Ilocos Norte and Batanes)," Pagasa head Prisco Nilo said in an interview on dzXL radio.

Also, Nilo said Ramil will be more powerful than tropical cyclone “Pepeng" (Parma), which devastated Northern Luzon and lingered around the area for a week, making landfall three times.

Earlier, Defense Secretary and National Disaster Coordinating Council head Gilberto Teodoro Jr. called on those living in risk-areas in northern Luzon provinces to evacuate already before it’s too late.

The warning was specifically addressed to residents in landslide-prone areas in Benguet and Mt. Province in the mountainous Cordillera region.

The two provinces, including the popular mountain resort city of Baguio, were the worst-hit by landslides at the height of typhoon Pepeng two weeks ago. The typhoon killed more than 300 people and isolated many areas due to road closures and destroyed infrastructure.

Preparing for Ramil’s imminent onslaught, local government units, local disaster coordinating units and various national government agencies are bracing for the typhoon.

More powerful than Ondoy, Pepeng

In the radio interview, Nilo said typhoon Pepeng had winds of 175 kph when it made landfall while storm “Ondoy" (Ketsana), which came a week earlier, had winds of 85 kph. But the approaching Ramil has winds of 195 kph near the center.

“Talagang mas malakas si ‘Ramil’ at ang ulan nito mas marami, 20-25 mm per hour. Pwede ito magpabaha at mag-cause ng landslides (Ramil is more powerful than the two cyclones preceding it, with rains estimated ate 20 to 25 milliliters per hour. It can cause floods and landslides)," he said.

However, he said there is still a chance Ramil would change course and head for Taiwan.

Pagasa forecaster Arnel Gonzales said that while their data shows Ramil is likely to make landfall in Cagayan province Thursday, atmospheric conditions could still cause the cyclone to go to Taiwan.

Gonzales also said that it is possible Ramil would turn into a super-typhoon once its winds near the center reach 215 kph or higher.