Giant Typhoon Set to Pound Luzon

Potential super typhoon Parma (local name “Pepeng”) roared towards the main and most populous Philippine island of Luzon on Thursday, October 1, all set to wreak further havoc in areas already devastated by its forerunner, tropical storm Ketsana (local name “Ondoy”).

A Filipino flood survivor rests at an overcrowded evacuation center in Manila. (Getty)

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the eye of Typhoon Parma was spotted at 11 a.m. Thursday at about 520 kms east of Borongan, Eastern Samar packing maximum sustained winds of 175 kph near its center and a gustiness of up to 210 kph. It was moving west northwest at 24 kph.

“This is a really big storm, and we expect this to become a Super Typhoon really soon. We should take this seriously,” PAGASA director Nathaniel Cruz said in a press briefing.
He said the howler could cause more flashfloods and landslides in Luzon, adding that Parma packs a punch that can break tree branches, tilt banana plants, peel the roof of houses and cause significant damage in rice and other crops.
Public Warning Storm Signal No.1 was hoisted over three provinces in the Bicol region – Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, and Catanduanes.
Cruz said the typhoon will dump more rains in eastern and southern Luzon, including Metro Manila, as well as the Visayas.
PAGASA weather forecasting section head Robert Sawi said Parma is expected to slam into Aurora, Quirino, and Isabela provinces on Saturday, adding that the provinces of Quezon, Laguna, Rizal, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Ifugao and Mt. Province will also be affected.
However, Sawi said it is possible for the typhoon to weaken when it passes over the land mass of Northern Luzon. It could also make a sudden change in direction and veer away from the Philippines and head instead towards Japan, he added.
But even if Parma spares the Philippines, Sawi said another strong storm, international Tropical Storm Melor, has been spotted in the Pacific Ocean and could also enter the Philippines next week.
He warned that Melor could prolong the stay of Typhoon Parma in the Philippines by causing a meteorological phenomenon called the Fujiwara effect wherein a tropical cyclone pulls another weather disturbance away from its movement.
Sawi said the Fujiwara effect can pull Parma and Melor closer together, delivering a double whammy on areas still reeling from the onslaught of storm Ketsana.
For his part, Cruz said Parma is much stronger than Ketsana, which brought record amounts of rainfall and triggered the worst flooding in Metro Manila in 42 years.
“In terms of wind intensity, ‘Ondoy’ was only half of the strength of ‘Pepeng.’ When it made landfall, ‘Ondoy’ only had winds of 85 kph while ‘Pepeng’ is 175 kph. However, we cannot really compare the two because it was the rain that was really destructive about ‘Ondoy’,” he said.
He added: “Our major concern with ‘Pepeng’ is the disastrous winds – 175 kph to 210 kph. We expect typhoon ‘Pepeng’ to intensify further as it moves towards northern Luzon.”
Cruz likened Parma to super-typhoon Durian (locally called “Reming”), which killed at least 734 people in the Philippines in 2006.
“This could be like Reming. We are not just talking here about Metro Manila. We are talking of the entire Luzon area where there is probability of devastation in terms of flooding…and wind,” he said.
Disaster officials fear more rains spawned by Parma could trigger another massive flood as streets and drainage systems remain clogged from the tons of debris left by the previous deluge caused by Ketsana.
As of 6 a.m. Thursday, the National Disaster Coordinating Council said more than half a million families, or 2.5 million people, have been affected by Ketsana in 11 regions, including Metro Manila and southern Luzon.
It said that a total of 686,699 people are now staying in 726 evacuation centers. It said Ketsana’s death toll has reached 277 and 42 are still missing.
The storm, which also devastated Vietnam and Cambodia, damaged crops and infrastructure worth at least $100 million or 4.80 billion pesos.