Regional Updates (12/16/21)
Typhoon Rai makes several landfalls
TYPHOON听Rai made another landfall over听Liloan, Southern Leyte听on Thursday afternoon, hours after it hit land over听Dinagat听Islands and听Siargao听Island in听Surigao del Norte in southern Philippines, according to the听local听weather bureau.听
Locally named Odette, the country鈥檚 15th听storm听this year was expected to continue moving westward and might make another landfall over Southern Leyte.听
The center of the tropical cyclone was also expected to听cross several provinces in听Central and Western Visayas before emerging over the Sulu Sea听on Friday听morning.听
鈥淎fter passing near or听in the vicinity of either听Cuyo听or听Cagayancillo听archipelago,听Odette听is forecast to cross the northern or central听portion of Palawan tomorrow afternoon or evening before emerging over the West Philippine Sea,鈥 it said.听
The storm might weaken as it听crosses Visayas and Palawan, but it听was forecast to remain a听typhoon.听
People and听disaster risk reduction and management offices听should听take measures to protect life and property, the agency said. Persons living in听hazardous听areas听should听follow evacuation and other instructions from local officials, it added.听
The storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 195 kilometers per hour (kph) with gusts of 270 kph, the weather bureau said.听
Earlier in the day, the US Navy and Air Force’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center in Hawaii听said Typhoon Rai had become a super typhoon.听
The typhoon 鈥渉as undergone a period of extremely rapid intensification, which was not previously forecast and while track has not significantly changed, the intensity forecast has been increased dramatically,” it said. 鈥斕Norman P. Aquino听
Group opposes Zambales causeway project听
A听GROUP听of environmentalists and fishermen has听opposed a plan to build听a causeway and jetty port in San Narciso, Zambales.听
Ricardo Reyes, president of Save Zambales听Kalikasan听Movement said the听causeway and jetty port project is destructive and illegal.听
鈥淭he government cannot change our local economy, which is driven by tourism, fishing and agriculture with a very destructive industry such as mining,鈥 he said in a statement听on Thursday.听鈥淲e will end up with no marine and forest resources and the ones benefiting from this change will be the miners.鈥听
The causeway project, which the听local government of San Felipe recently approved,听is one of five infrastructure projects that will serve companies hauling lahar from Mt. Pinatubo to other parts of the country, the group said.听
The causeway will reclaim the听Alusiis听River in San Narciso and turn it into a road network connected to the river dike road, while the private jetty port will be used by trucks hauling mudflow from the slopes of the volcano, it added.听
Adonis听Rellaniza, president of听Bangus听Fry Catchers Association of San Narciso, Zambales said the project could harm their milkfish fingerling industry. 鈥淥nce the ports are here, off-shore mining will be possible and made legal. We will lose our听shores,听we will suffer from massive coastal erosion and our communities will be wiped out.鈥 he said in the statement.听
The Environment department听and AGN Trading, which is leading the project, did not immediately reply to an e-mail and text message seeking comment. 鈥斕Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson听
