Maysak approaches PAR. A PAGASA weather forecaster shows a satellite image of Super Typhoon Maysak as it approaches the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) as of 11:00 am on Wednesday, April 1. It will be named Chedeng after it crosses the boundary, and will affect the Philippines come Easter weekend. GMA News
Typhoon Maysak finally entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) before midnight Wednesday and was locally codenamed Chedeng.
PAGASA said it will raise Public Storm Warning Signal 1 over Bicol and Samar in 18 hours, and “sea travel over these areas will be possibly suspended.”
PAGASA alerted the public against possible flash floods over low-lying areas and landslides along mountain slopes particularly over Aurora-Quezon area.
It also warned of possible storm surges and sea surface waves of up to four meters, over the eastern coast of Samar, Bicol and Aurora-Quezon.
PAGASA advised fisherfolk not to venture out over the eastern seaboard of Bicol region and of Visayas.
As of 11 p.m., PAGASA said Chedeng was estimated at 1,015 km east-northeast of Guiuan, Eastern Samar or 1,040 km east of Borongan, Eastern Samar.
It packed maximum sustained winds of 180 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 215 kph, and is forecast to move west-northwest at 19 kph.
By Thursday evening, it is projected to be 850 km east of Legazpi City, Albay.
Chedeng expected to weaken
The typhoon is expected to further weaken once it hits the central or northern parts of the main Philippine island of Luzon on Saturday or Sunday, the weather agency said, as the Philippines celebrates the Easter long weekend.
“This is very strong and it will maintain its strength as it nears, although we expect that the typhoon will weaken,” Esperanza Cayanan, an officer at the weather bureau, said in a televised briefing.
British-based Tropical Storm Risk said Chedeng (Maysak) would likely weaken to a category 2 typhoon, with maximum winds of up to 175 kph (110 mph), when it hits land.
Warning residents, tourists in typhoon path
Alexander Pama, executive director of the national disaster agency, said the biggest challenge for authorities would be keeping foreign and Filipino tourists travelling to northern provinces for the weekend safe when Chedeng (Maysak) makes landfall.
Thousands of Filipinos have already begun travelling to the provinces and popular tourist spots before the Easter weekend.
Chedeng (Maysak) is not expected to make landfall where another category 5 typhoon, Yolanda (Haiyan), struck more than a year ago, leaving nearly 8000 dead or missing. — with Reuters/Joel Locsin/ELR, GMA News
