MANILA, Philippines — (UPDATE 5 – 11:55 a.m.) Tropical storm “Vinta” (international name “Tembin”) weakened slightly after crossing the Davao region stormed following landfall in Cateel town at 1:45 a.m. Friday, December 22.
By 10 a.m., Vinta had struck Malaybalay, Bukidnon.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration forecast moderate to heavy rains over the Visayas and Mindanao within 24 hours and urged residents along the path of the storm to take “appropriate actions against flooding and landslides, coordinate with their respective local disaster risk reduction and management offices, and continue monitoring for updates.”
By late Friday morning, Vinta’s maximum sustained winds were down from kilometers per hour near the center to 80 kph, its previous gusts of up to 155 kph down to 130 kph.
But it also slowed to 18 kph from the previous 20 kph as it continued moving west.
Pagasa raised tropical cyclone warning signal No. 2, meaning winds of 61-120kph are expected in 24 hours over the following areas of Mindanao:
- Agusan del Sur
- Davao del Norte
- North Cotabato
- Misamis Oriental
- Bukidnon
- Lanao del Norte
- Lanao del Sur
- Misamis Occidental
- Zamboanga del Norte
- Zamboanga del Sur
- Zamboanga Sibugay
Signal No. 1, or winds of 30-60kph in 36 hrs, was up over these areas:
MINDANAO
- Dinagat Island
- Surigao del Norte
- Surigao del Sur
- Agusan del Norte
- Camiguin
- Compostela Valley
- Davao Oriental
- Davao del Sur
- Maguindanao
- Sultan Kudarat
- Basilan
VISAYAS
- Southern Leyte
- Bohol
- Southern Cebu
- Negros Oriental
- Southern Negros Occidental
- Siquijor
At 5 a.m., Pagasa issued the following flood warnings:
RED (serious flooding expected, evacuation advised)
- Surigao del Norte
- Surigo del Sur
- Agusan del Norte
- Agusan del Sur
- Davao del Norte
- Davao Oriental
- Compostela Valley
- Bukidnon
- Misamis Oriental
- Davao City
ORANGE (Flooding expected in low-lying areas, especially along river channels)
- Dinagat
- Siargao
- North Cotabato
- Camiguin
YELLOW (Flooding possible in low-lying areas, especially along river channels)
- Lanao del Norte
- Lanao del Sur
- Maguindanao
- Sultan Kudarat
Pagasa warned against sea travel over the seaboards of areas under storm warning signals.
The weather bureau said the Bicol and Mimaropa regions could expect scattered rain showed and thunderstorms, which could also triggered flashfloods and landslides, due to Vinta’s trough.
The northeast monsoon, on the other hand, will bring cloudy skies and scattered rains to the rest of Luzon, including Metro Manila, but have no significant impact otherwise.
Air carriers canceled flight on Friday.
In an advisory issued Thursday afternoon, Philippine Airlines said the following Friday flights have been canceled:
- PR 2397-2398 Cebu – Surigao – Cebu
- PR 2929-2930 Cebu – Camiguin – Cebu
- PR 2893-2894 Cebu – Ozamiz – Cebu
- PR 2295-2296 Cebu – Cagayan – Cebu
- PR 2374-2375 Cebu – Siargao – Cebu
- PR 2557-2558 Manila – Dipolog – Manila
- PR 2967-2968 Manila – Butuan – Manila
- PR 2889-2890 Manila – Ozamiz – Manila
- PR 2959-2960 Manila – Cotabato – Manila
- PR 2519-2520 Manila – Cagayan de Oro – Manila
Affected passengers may avail of the following options: rebook within 30 days from original flight date with rebooking/penalty charges waived or refund within 30 days from original flight date with refund charges waived.
Cebu Pacific canceled the following flights:
- DG 6851 / DG 6582 – Cebu-Siargao-Cebu
- DG 6853 / DG 6854 – Cebu-Siargao-Cebu
- DG 6885 / DG 6896 – Cebu-Siargao-Cebu
- DG 6901 / DG 6902 – Cebu-Siargao-Cebu
- DG 6951 / DG 6952 – Cebu-Tandag-Cebu
- DG 6925 / DG 6926 – Cebu-Butuan-Cebu
- 5J 791 / 5J 792 – Manila-Butuan-Manila
- 5J 785 / 5J 786 – Manila-Butuan-Manila
- 5J 793 / 5J 794 – Manila-Butuan-Manila
- DG 6690 / DG 6691 – Cebu-Camiguin-Cebu
- DG 6532 / DG 6533 – Davao-Dumaguete-Davao
- DG 6536 / DG 6537 – Cagayan de Oro-Dumaguete-Cagayan de Oro
- DG 6784 / DG 6785 – Cagayan de Oro- Tagbilaran-Cagayan de Oro
- 5J 397 / 5J 398 – Manila-Cagayan de Oro-Manila
- 5J 383 / 5J 384 – Manila-Cagayan de Oro-Manila
- 5J 379 / 5J 380 – Manila-Cagayan de Oro-Manila
- 5J 391 / 5J 392 – Manila-Cagayan de Oro-Manila
- 5J 385 / 5J 386 – Manila-Cagayan de Oro-Manila
- 5J 389 / 5J 390 – Manila-Cagayan de Oro-Manila
- 5J 695 / 5J 696 – Iloilo-Cagayan de Oro-Iloilo
- DG 6715 / DG 6718 – Cebu-Cagayan de Oro-Cebu
- DG 6719 / DG 6720 – Cebu-Cagayan de Oro-Cebu
- DG 6717 / DG 6722 – Cebu-Cagayan de Oro-Cebu
- DG 6723 / DG 6724 – Cebu-Cagayan de Oro-Cebu
- DG 6738 – Davao-Cagayan de Oro
- DG 6302 / DG 6303 – Cagayan de Oro-Caticlan-Cagayan de Oro
The airline is giving passengers traveling on any CEB or Cebgo flight to and from the Visayas and Mindanao between December 21 until December 24, 2017 the following options: rebook within 30 days without penalties, if beyond 30 days charge fare difference, reroute to alternate station within 30 days without penalties if beyond 30 days charge difference, travel fund without penalties and full refund.
Passengers who booked through a travel agent or any other third party may provide their own details to be able to advise them on any flight changes.
Vinta’s forecast positions in the next few days follow:
- 24 Hours: 145 km west southwest of Dipolog City, Zamboanga del Norte(8.2°N, 122.1°E)
- 48 Hours (Sunday morning): In the vicinity of Bataraza, Palawan(8.6°N, 117.5°E)
- 72 Hours (Monday morning): 295 km Southwest of Pagasa Island, Palawan (OUTSIDE PAR)(8.9°N, 112.5°E)
(with a report from Gerard dela Pena, News5 | Philippine News Agency)
