(UPDATE) SIGNAL No. 1 was raised Friday over a wide area in central Philippines due to Tropical Depression "Aghon," the first storm to hit the country this year.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) Signal No. 1 is up over Sorsogon, Albay, Catanduanes, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte and Masbate, including Ticao and Burias Islands in Luzon.
The same storm alert was raised over Eastern Samar, Samar, Northern Samar, Leyte, Southern Leyte, Biliran, Cebu (San Remigio, Tabogon, City of Bogo, Medellin, Daanbantayan and Borbon), including Camotes Islands, Bantayan Islands and Bohol (Pres. Carlos P. Garcia, Bien Unido, Trinidad, Anda, Candijay, Ubay, Mabini, Alicia, San Miguel and Talibon) in the Visayas.
Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte, including Siargao and Bucas Grande Islands, Surigao del Sur, Agusan del Sur (Sibagat, City of Bayugan, Prosperidad, San Francisco, Rosario, Bunawan and Trento), and Agusan del Norte in Mindanao are also under Signal No. 1.
Aghon was tracked 135 kilometers north-east of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur, on a west-northwestward track at 30 kilometers per hour (kph).
It packed maximum sustained winds of 55 kph gusting to 70 kph.
Pagasa said that about 100 to 200 millimeters of rainfall is likely over Albay, Sorsogon, Eastern Visayas, Surigao del Norte and Dinagat Islands until Saturday afternoon.
There is a "minimal to minor threat" to lives and property due to strong winds, but possible flooding or landslides because of moderate to heavy rains, Pagasa said.
Aghon will likely make landfall in Eastern Samar or pass close to it on Saturday morning.
It will then curve upwards toward Bicol in the afternoon or evening before intensifying by Sunday and developing into a typhoon by Tuesday.
On Friday, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian called on all DSWD field offices in the projected route of Aghon to check on their family food pack (FFP) inventory.
Gatchalian specifically advised the Field Offices in Eastern Visayas, Bicol and Caraga.
"I checked our inventory levels daily, and we've got very high stockpiles," he said. "So we're all ready with the pre-positioned family food packs."
DSWD Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao said the agency has prepositioned more than P189 million worth of food packs in areas under Signal No. 1.
Dumlao said the field office in Eastern Visayas has stockpiled 11,363 boxes of food packs, while the Caraga office has 32,000 packs prepositioned in Surigao del Norte and the Dinagat Islands.
Close to 200,000 boxes of food packs are stored at the National Resource and Logistics Management Bureau's National Resource Operations Center in Pasay City, while 60,237 packs are kept at the Visayas Disaster Resource Center in Cebu City.
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