Heavy rains and strong winds spawned by Tropical Storm Ramil have submerged a bridge and caused the evacuation of at least 200 families in Biliran province and caused a landslide in Leyte province ahead of the projected landfall of the storm in Northern Samar this afternoon, Saturday, October 18.
At least 368 passengers were also stranded at the Allen Port in Northern Samar on Saturday after the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) suspended sea travel in various ports in Eastern Visayas and the Bicol region since Friday due to rough seas.
The PCG in Bicol and Eastern Visayas regions have also warned fishermen against venturing out to sea amid the inclement weather.
Local government units across Eastern Visayas have heightened their monitoring and preparedness measures as Ramil continues to bring heavy rains and strong winds to the region.
In Northern Samar, Governor Harris Ongchuan convened the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and urged residents-especially those in low-lying and landslide-prone areas-to remain vigilant and closely monitor weather updates.
In Eastern Samar, the PDRRMO placed the province under blue alert status ensuring that local response teams are on standby for possible flooding, landslides, or other emergencies.
In Matuguinao, Samar, the local government advised residents to prepare ‘go bags’ containing essential items such as ready-to-eat food, medicine, and important documents in case of floods, power or communication outages, and if evacuation will be required.
Possible strong winds, heavy rains
The municipal government also discouraged residents from cutting trees or leaving their homes unnecessarily to avoid possible accidents during strong winds or heavy rain.
In Biliran’s capital town of Naval, 210 families-or 802 individuals-from various high-risk barangays have been moved to the municipal gymnasium for safety, the municipal government said.
In nearby Almeria town, continuous rains caused flooding in several barangays, prompting local officials to advise residents to move to designated evacuation centers if water levels continue to rise.
Meanwhile, a portion of the road in Barangay Bulalaco, Kawayan, Biliran became impassable after it was submerged by floodwaters, while a landslide was reported in Barangay Abijao, Villaba town, Leyte, due to incessant rainfall.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Eastern Visayas said it has prepositioned 113,673 family food packs and 22,051 non-food items, including hygiene and sleeping kits, ready for distribution to families that may be affected by the storm.
According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), Ramil was over the coastal waters of Palapag at 11 a.m., packing sustained winds of 75 kilometers per hour (kph) and gusts of up to 90 kph, while moving west-southwestward at 20 kph.
The storm was projected to move northwestward and was estimated to make landfall or pass close to Northern Samar by this afternoon, then over Catanduanes by evening, the Pagasa said.
‘Based on the observed movement of Ramil, the possibility of landfall over Albay or Sorsogon is increasing. Afterwards, it will continue moving west-northwestward, passing close to or over the mainland Bicol Region and Polillo Islands. On the track forecast, Ramil may make another landfall in the vicinity of Aurora tomorrow (19 October) morning or afternoon. The possibility of landfall over northern Quezon or southern Isabela instead of Aurora is also not ruled out based on the forecast confidence cone,’ the Pagasa said.
After making landfall in Aurora, Ramil is forecast to traverse the mountainous terrain of Northern Luzon and emerge over the coastal waters of Pangasinan or La Union on Sunday evening and will exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility by Monday (20 October) morning, Pagasa said