MANILA, 28 September 2006 — Typhoon Xangsane (local code name: Milenyo) slammed into the east-central Philippines yesterday, holding sea and air traffic to a standstill as officials suspended all ferry passenger services.
Weather forecasters also warned residents of metropolitan Manila and surrounding provinces to brace for a possible direct hit by the typhoon, which packed center winds of up to 120 kilometers per hour.
At nightfall last night, the typhoon was spotted at 60 kilometers east of Catarman town in the island of Samar, said the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration or Pagasa in its latest weather bulletin.
Xangsane was moving northwest at 13 kilometers per hour and was forecast to be over Daet town in Camarines Norte province by this morning.
“Since 1995, there has been no strong typhoon that has crossed this close to Manila,” Nathaniel Cruz, the chief weather forecaster, told reporters, as Pagasa raised the alert level in the national capital to No. 1.
Classes in Metro Manila and surrounding provinces were canceled for today in anticipation of torrential rains.
The Office of Civil Defense said thousands of people were trapped in flashfloods and stranded in various ports in the eastern and central Philippines.
Some 100 families were trapped in their homes in San Antonio village of Barbaza town, Antique province, 390 kilometers south of Manila, amid rising floodwaters.
Local officials appealed for assistance to immediately evacuate the residents, but the air force said the bad weather was preventing its helicopters from flying.
At least 12 boats and ferries were stopped from leaving the ports in the provinces of Sorsogon, Albay and Masbate, officials said.
Xangsane, with gusts of up to 160 km (100 miles) per hour, hit the central Bicol peninsula early yesterday, trapping around 3,400 passengers as high seas and fierce winds halted ferries in 11 ports and grounded a handful of flights.
Disaster officials have warned of possible landslides and flash flooding from the winds. A high-pressure cell over mainland China has pushed Xangsane westward rather than northwest. If it continues on its current path, the storm is expected to strengthen and hit the coast of Vietnam by early next week.
Officials warned residents living near the slopes of Mayon Volcano in the east-central province of Albay not to venture within an 8-km danger zone around its crater for fear winds would whip mud and rocks down the sides of the mountain.
OCD Deputy Administrator Anthony Golez said there were no confirmed reports of deaths or injuries as of 4 p.m. The OCD has also advised residents in low-lying areas against flash floods and landslides. (With reports from Inquirer News Service & Agencies)
