MANILA, 2 November 2003 — An off-season tropical storm slammed into the northern Philippines yesterday, forcing thousands of people observing All Saints’ Day to flee their homes.
Packing maximum sustained winds of 115 kilometers per hour, the storm code-named “Melor” (local code name: Viring) slammed into the northeastern province of Isabela from the Pacific Ocean at 8 a.m. (0000 GMT), the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said.
Melor has a very large footprint and stormy weather enveloped 23 northern provinces, the weather bureau said.
Civil Defense officials said at least 2,000 families in seven towns of Isabela were evacuated to higher ground as rivers started to swell in low-lying villages
Jose Armand Araneta, Isabela civil defense officer, said the affected families came from 109 villages in the towns of Cabatuan, Ramon San Mateo, Naguilian, Aurora, Gamu and Ilagan.
Strong winds toppled electric posts and cut off power lines, causing a widespread power outage in the Isabela, Cagayan and Kalinga provinces on Friday midnight.
Araneta said water level at the Magat Dam in Ramon town was recorded at 170 meters yesterday morning, still below the spilling level of 190 meters.
The storm disrupted the observance of All Saints’ Day in provinces south of Manila.
Reports said close to 2,000 ferry passengers bound for the provinces of Masbate and Marinduque were stranded at the Dalahican port in Lucena City for more than 24 hours since Friday after the Philippine Coast Guard ordered the temporary cancellation of ship operations as storm continued to gain strength.
Commandant Christopher Caunan, chief of the Coast Guard station based in Dalahican, said all grounded ferries in Marinduque were prevented to sail back to Dalahican.
Melor was moving northwest at 19 kilometers an hour and was expected to cross over into the South China Sea late in the night.
