The Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council alerted all local government officials and DRRMCs in Western Visayas on Sunday, December 12, to prepare for a potential tropical cyclone.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) reported that a potential tropical cyclone is expected to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Tuesday, December 14, and will be named “Odette”, Ma. Aletha Nogra, Office of Civil Defense-Western Visayas OIC, said.
It may intensify into a typhoon before making landfall on Wednesday evening, December 15, or Thursday morning, December 16, over Eastern Visayas, she said.
She reminded local government officials to strengthen risk communication and localize warnings to communities within their areas of responsibility.
The low pressure area outside the PAR southeast of Palau had developed into a tropical depression Sunday morning, PAGASA reported.
The center of the Tropical Depression was estimated at 2,095 km East of Mindanao outside the PAR as of 10 a.m. Sunday, it added.
It has maximum sustained winds of 45 km per hour near the center with gustiness up to 55 kph with its present movement almost stationary, it said.
It added that the tropical cyclone will begin to move westward and may make landfall over Eastern Visayas-Caraga area by Wednesday evening or Thursday morning.
The tropical depression is forecast to gradually intensify and may reach tropical storm category within the next 24 hours, PAGASA said.
Current track and intensity forecast show that there is a moderate to high likelihood that Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) will be hoisted for the provinces of Visayas and Mindanao, it added.*