BAGUIO CITY – Continuous heavy rains brought by tropical depression “Nando” in the Cordilleras over the past three days has resulted in the closure of several major roads in the region due to landslides and washed out road sections that stranded thousands of motorists.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) hoisted Signal No. 1 in the provinces of Abra, Apayao, Kalinga, Mountain Province and Ifugao over the weekend after Nando made landfall in Palanan, Isabela and moved northwest towards the direction of Laoag City in Ilocos Norte.

PAGASA said Sunday the tropical depression is expected to bring more rains as it continues to move away from the country.

In its 11 a.m. weather bulletin Sunday, PAGASA said Nando was located 160 kilometers northwest of Laoag City with maximum winds of 55 kilometers per hour (kph).

It was moving 22 kilometers per hour in the west northwest direction and is expected to be 650 kilometers west northwest of Laoag Monday, September 14.

Storm signal No. 1 remained over the provinces of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, and Abra. Nando was expected to enhance the southwest monsoon and bring occasional to frequent rains over Western Visayas and the rest of Luzon.

PAGASA advised residents in low lying areas and near mountain slopes to take all the necessary precautionary measures against possible flashfloods and landslides.

The weather bureau also issued a gale warning as the surge of the southwest monsoon is expected to affect the seaboards of Central and Southern Luzon, the seaboards of the Visayas, and the northern and western seaboards of Mindanao.

Likewise, fishing boats and other small sea crafts were advised not to sail to sea, while larger sea vessels were alerted against big waves.

In the Cordilleras, Engineer Roy Manao, regional director of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), said the most devastated route due to the storm was the Abra-Kalinga Road. He said it would take at least two weeks before it could reopen to vehicular traffic.

Manao said the road suffered from numerous huge landslides and washed out portions as a result of the tropical depression’s wrath that isolated Abra and Kalinga from each other.

At the same time, the Halsema Highway to Baguio is under the close watch by the DPWH-CAR because of its close-open situation due to a landslide-prone area in Sabangan, Mountain Province.

Manao said another road network in the region that was closed to traffic is the Mountain Province-Calanan-Pinukpok Road, a vital line linking Mountain Province and Kalinga, because of a series of landslides in various sections.

Upon learning that Nando would hit the Cordillera, the DPWH-CAR ordered private contractors and its various engineering offices region-wide to deploy heavy equipment in landslide-prone areas to clear the soil and rocks that impede the smooth flow of traffic.

In a related development, the Cordillera Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) here reported three houses in Barangay Guinaang, Pasil, Kalinga were partially damaged by a landslide triggered by Nando. No one was reported hurt in the incident.