Pedring makes landfall, roars across Luzon

source: gmanews.tv

(Updated 12:33 p.m.) - Typhoon Pedring (international name: Nesat) made landfall over the boundary of Aurora and Isabela provinces early Tuesday morning, knocking out power lines and causing outages in a wide area of Luzon, officials said.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical & Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) warned that nearly all of Luzon will be affected by the typhoon's heavy winds and rain throughout the day. The weather bureau said provinces along the "trackline" of Pedring are Aurora, Quirino, Ifugao, Nueva Vizcaya, Benguet, and La Union provinces.

Before dawn Tuesday, Metro Manila experienced strong winds that knocked out power in some areas, felled trees, and scattered debris that have littered roads. Along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City, at least 10 trees were uprooted by fierce winds and blocked the normally busy thoroughfare early Tuesday, according to a report on GMA News TV's "News to Go."

PAGASA also issued a gale warning in other parts of the country. "Strong to gale force wind is expected to affect the seaboards of Visayas and the Western seaboard of Mindanao," it warned.

Govt work, classes suspended

Malacañang on Tuesday ordered the suspension of work in government offices in Metro Manila and some parts of Luzon due to Typhoon Pedring.

"No government work today except for emergency and NDRRMC (National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council) related services," presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in a text message to reporters.

He said the suspension on government work covers the National Capital Region, Regions 1, 2, 3, Cordillera Administrative Region, Batangas, Cavite, Rizal and Laguna.

Classes in the tertiary level in all the areas that Lacierda mentioned were also suspended.

The Department of Education earlier suspended all classes from elementary to high school in Metro Manila on Tuesday.

The University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) also announced that the Men's Senior Basketball finals game scheduled for 3 p.m. Tuesday is suspended, after earlier announcing that it will push through.

However, the Women's and Juniors' basketball games proceeded as scheduled.

The Finals game between the Ateneo Blue Eagles and the Far Eastern University Tamaraws is rescheduled for Saturday, October 1.

Storm alerts

PAGASA raised the following storm alerts in various provinces as of 5 a.m. Tuesday:

Signal No.3 (100-185 kph winds)

Ilocos Norte
Ilocos Sur
Abra
Apayao
Kalinga
Mt. Province
Cagayan
Isabela
Ifugao
Benguet
La Union
Nueva Viscaya
Quirino
Aurora
Nueva Ecija
Tarlac
Pangasinan
Zambales

Signal No. 2 (60-100 kph winds)

Pampanga
Bulacan
Bataan
Rizal
Northern Quezon
Polillo is.
Cavite
Laguna
Batangas
Lubang is.
Babuyan
Calayan group of islands
Metro Manila

Signal No. 1 (45-60 kph winds)

Batanes
Oriental Mindoro
Occidental Mindoro
Marinduque
Burias Is.
Camarines Norte
Camarines Sur
Albay
Southern Quezon
Catanduanes
Calamian group of Is.
Romblon group of islands

According to PAGASA, the fast-moving typhoon is expected to be out of the land mass of Luzon by Tuesday afternoon. "Pedring" is expected to exit the country towards the South China Sea by Wednesday afternoon.

source: gmanews.tv