Juan (Megi) updates

Super typhoon Juan makes landfall in Sierra Madre—Pagasa 

By Kristine L. Alave
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 13:52:00 10/18/2010
Filed Under: Disasters (general), Weather

MANILA, Philippines—Super typhoon Juan made landfall in the Sierra Madre mountains at 11:25 a.m. on Monday, the country’s weather bureau said.
The storm has been carrying maximum winds of 225 kilometers per hour, with gusts of 260 kph, according to the latest bulletins of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration. It has been slowing down, and was earlier seen tracking west southwest at 17 kph.
The typhoon was expected to pass through Isabela, Mountain Province, and Ilocos Sur and exit at about 2 a.m. Tuesday.
In its 11 a.m. press conference, Pagasa weather specialist Vicente Manalo said the super typhoon appeared to be a "well-behaved tropical cyclone" as it seemed to follow the usual course of typhoons that entered the Philippines during the month of October.

"State of the Climate"

Senator Loren Legarda in her "State of the Climate" privilege speech today called for the synchronized implementation of the following laws - Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, Climate Change Act of 2009 and the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010;

"Never before in history have humans proactively worked together to avert a global catastrophe, as what we now attempt to achieve with the threatening challenge of climate change."

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Climate change asserted, "Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger is impossible to achieve without taking extensive measures to minimize the impacts of recurring floods, droughts, and other hazards that push Filipinos back into poverty. "

"It is time to recognize that disasters, turbocharged by a changing climate, have undone years of development gains, and that unsound and short-sighted development practices themselves are playing a significant role in worsening disaster risk, " Legarda cautioned.