Fifth storm in under a month gains strength

THE government issued fresh weather warnings on Tuesday as the fifth major storm in three weeks bore down on the archipelago, days after thousands were evacuated ahead of Typhoon Nika (international name: Toraji).

Now a weakened tropical storm, Nika blew out to sea overnight after causing relatively limited damage and no reported deaths.

But Tropical Storm Ofel (international name: Usagi) is now just two days away from the coast of Luzon and gaining strength, the national weather agency said.

The government said it had evacuated more than 32,000 people from vulnerable areas in the northern Philippines ahead of Nika's Monday landfall, weeks after Severe Tropical Storm Kristine (international name: Trami), Typhoon Marce (international name: Yinxing) and Super Typhoon Leon (international name: Kong-rey) killed a combined 159 people.

Most of that tally came during Kristine, which unleashed torrential rains that triggered deadly flash floods and landslides.

The government did not report substantial flooding caused by Nika and has so far not called for evacuations ahead of Ofel's arrival.

"Areas in northern Luzon are at risk of heavy rainfall, severe wind, and, possibly, storm surge inundation from (Ofel) which may cause considerable impacts," the weather service said in a fresh bulletin, using a term for giant coastal waves.

Usagi has strengthened to 85 kilometres (53 miles) an hour and may start affecting the region late in the day and reach typhoon category by Wednesday, a day ahead of landfall, it added.

Coastal waters will be rough and "mariners of small seacraft... are advised not to venture out to sea under these conditions."

While the government reported no casualties from Nika, it said around 15,000 people were still sheltering at mainly government-run evacuation centers.

Utility workers on Tuesday repaired damaged bridges, restored electricity and cleared roads blocked by landslides, fallen trees and power pylons, the civil defence office said.

The full extent of the damage to private homes was not immediately known, but 29 towns and cities were still without power even as ports reopened and young people in nearly 600 towns and cities began returning to class.

"A small number of people were preemptively evacuated but they have since returned home. Classes at the collegiate level have resumed," civil defence official Randy Nicolas of Ilocos Norte province on Luzon's South China Sea coast said.

After Ofel, the weather service said Tropical Storm Man-yi, currently near the Northern Mariana Islands, may also threaten the Philippines next week.

The provincial government in Cagayan on Tuesday said it was conducting a search for two men who drowned in the Cagayan River, following floods after Typhoon Marce and Severe Tropical Storm Nika hit the province.

In a statement, the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office in the town of Amulung is searching for the victims identified as Romnick Gavino, 18 and Francis Mariano, 42.

The 18-year-old victim was reported to have gone to the river to get wood with four other companions.

Mariano, on the other hand, was trying to ensure the safety of his animals when he, too, got swept away by floodwaters.

The Cagayan Provincial Information Office said a coverage team joined members of the Task Force Lingkod Cagayan-Quick Response Team to search for the victims.

Several towns in Cagayan were flooded after water was released from the Magat Dam in Isabela, which neared spilling level.

The Cagayan River, the country's longest, overflowed, flooding communities in Aparri, Lal-lo, Amulung, Allacapan, Sta. Ana, Gonzaga, Solana and Enrile towns.

In Lal-Lo, floodwaters entered residences as water levels in the river rose.

Reports said 384 families and 1,350 individuals were evacuated.

At 3:30 p.m., the water level at the Buntun Bridge reached 11 meters, which was deemed to be at the critical level.

Members of the Bureau of Fire Protection in Gonzaga conducted rescue efforts to ensure the safety of residents following the overflow of a river near Barangay Sta. Ana.

Glenys Santiago, a teacher residing in hard-hit Barangay Smart, said floodwaters rose so fast that many families were caught by surprise.

"We've had floods before, but this is different. This was like a flash flood," Santiago said.

A video filmed by Allacapan mayor Harry Florida showed farmland that looked like a river because of the overflowing of the Cagayan River.

In Lal-Lo town, floodwaters entered residences as water levels in the river rose.

Based on their situation report, 384 families and 1,350 individuals were evacuated.

At 3:30 p.m., the water level at the Buntun Bridge reached 11 meters, which was deemed to be at the critical level.

Meanwhile, in Tuguegarao City, 21 villages were flooded, which resulted in the evacuation of 802 families and 3,032 people.

The Cagayan PIO also showed photos of several houses in the city, particularly at Centro 10. In drone photos, floodwaters also submerged houses, which resulted in only the rooftops being visible from above.

City Mayor Maila Ting Que announced that classes and government work in Tuguegarao have been suspended for Wednesday. Amulung made an earlier announcement, as well.

She also said on her Facebook page that the city always becomes collateral damage.