CEBU CITY -- Strong winds brewing over the Pacific Ocean are likely to develop into a tropical depression that will head for Cebu and the rest of the Visayas this week.
Even if the winds do not develop into a storm, a wind convergence will probably dump heavy rains in Cebu in the next few days, said Oscar Tabada, chief of the Mactan station of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pag-asa).
The Pag-asa official briefed Cebu's mayors Saturday in a meeting convened by Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia to assess preparations for floods and other effects of the rainy weather.
"Based on experience, when we talk about casualties or damage to properties, it is not the wind but the flood waters that cause these," said Tabada.
Pag-asa already has a name for the country's first tropical depression this year: Amang. Weather forecasters will prepare a more detailed advisory on Monday.
"We are immediately releasing this information to warn the people that continuous heavy rains will resume next week, beginning Monday, Jan. 31. The people must prepare more umbrellas and raincoats. Those residing in flood-prone areas must be more careful this time," Tabada said in a separate interview.
Pag-asa Mactan has recorded 353 millimeters of rainfall in Cebu from Jan. 1 to 26, or triple the amount of rainfall in the same month last year.
Councilors decided last Friday to declare calamities in the cities of Cebu and Mandaue so officials can hasten the release of emergency funds to buy equipment or to provide relief to those displaced by recent floods.
At least 13 barangays in the two cities reported floods last Tuesday, when an extreme amount of rainfall-35.7 millimeters in less than two hours-drenched Cebu.
In light of the bad weather, Governor Garcia said she wants an integrated system of reporting within the Provincial Risk Reduction Management Council.
The governor said that the Provincial Action Center, which is tasked to respond to disasters and emergencies, can communicate quickly with all police stations and municipalities, all the way up to the Camotes Islands.
She renewed her call to all mayors to forge a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the National Food Authority so that they can immediately secure rice in case the Province can't deliver to the islands.
She also asked officials to encourage farmers to avail themselves of crop insurance coverage. Provincial Agriculturist Necias Vicoy said the weather will heavily affect farm production and that he has advised farmers to practice multi-cropping.
Engr. Rico Tuñacao, a representative of the Visayan Electric Company, said the power distributor has set up contingency plans for disasters.
He reminded residents to stay away from electricity posts, in case these are toppled by violent winds. He said they have also deployed a group of people to monitor any damage caused by the weather.
Cebu's weather forecast for Sunday is partly cloudy, but it will be more cloudy, with rain showers and thunderstorms from Monday until Thursday, Tabada said.
Weather forecaster Ella Comahig said satellite images show large cloud formations over the Philippine area of responsibility.
"There is no circulation [of air] at present. But once the strong winds in the Pacific Ocean develop into a tropical depression or wind convergence, that will push the clouds to the Visayas and Mindanao, which we expect next week, and non-stop heavy rains may occur," Comahig said. (RSA/EOB/Sun.Star Davao)
