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Cagayan, Isabela scramble to harvest rice, corn as Mangkhut plods closer

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<figure class="op-interactive"><div id="IVS_ABS_Body_Video_1_Container"> <ivs-player id="IVS_ABS_Body_Video_1" data-ivs-spid="3001339" data-ivs-key="e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603" data-ivs-vid="1424746" data-ivs-floating="1"></ivs-player> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/iframe-parent.js"></script> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js"></script> </div></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><p>MANILA - Farmers in Cagayan and Isabela, 2 of the country&#x27;s top rice and corn producing provinces, are rushing to reap their harvests as Typhoon Mangkhut roared closer to northern Luzon, local officials said Wednesday. </p><p>Mangkhut will enter the Philippine area of responsibility before noon and lash large swaths of the country with intense rains later this week, state weather bureau PAGASA earlier said. </p><p>Cagayan, which is expected to bear the brunt of the typhoon&#x27;s onslaught, has harvested less than 10 percent of produce from 130,000 hectares of rice fields, said Governor Manuel Mamba. </p><p>The harvest was not supposed to start until the end of the month, he told radio DZMM. </p><p>Farmers in Isabela, the country&#x27;s top corn producer and the second in rice production, were also directed to start harvesting crops earlier this week, said provincial disaster officer Edmond De Guzman.</p><p>Most of their harvest, he said, usually go to Metro Manila and other provinces. </p><p>Both Isabela and Cagayan have set up evacuation centers, said De Guzman and Mamba. </p><p>Cagayan officials are on the lookout for possible flooding and storm surges in coastal areas and riverside communities, said its governor. </p><p>&quot;Nagpi-prepare po kami (we are preparing) for the worst. We are praying for the best for our province,&quot; Mamba said. </p><p>Isabela, meanwhile, has imposed a liquor ban until after Mangkhut&#x27;s onslaught, De Guzman said. </p><figure class="op-interactive"><div id="IVS_ABS_Body_Video_2_Container"> <ivs-player id="IVS_ABS_Body_Video_2" data-ivs-spid="3001339" data-ivs-key="e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603" data-ivs-vid="1424748" data-ivs-floating="1"></ivs-player> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/iframe-parent.js"></script> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js"></script> </div></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><p>Mangkhut was 1,390 kilometers east of Southern Luzon at 3 a.m., packing 200 kph maximum sustained winds and 245 kph gusts, said PAGASA. </p><p>The weather agency classifies a tropical cyclone with 220 kph top sustained winds as a super typhoon. </p><p>The US Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) earlier said Mangkhut has intensified into a supertyphoon under its own classification , based on 1-minute instrumental readings.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/11/18/mangkhut-now-a-supertyphoon-jtwc">Mangkhut now a supertyphoon: JTWC </a></li></ul><p>PAGASA has lower figures, because it uses 10-minute readings similar to the standard used by the Japan Meteorological Agency. <br/> <br/>Mangkhut was moving west at 20 kph. Its speed went down from 35 kph on Tuesday due to a nearby high pressure area, PAGASA meteorologist Ezra Bulquerin said in a DZMM interview. </p><p>Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon and Bicol regions are expected to be placed under Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 1 late Wednesday, he said. </p><p>Areas under this signal may be whipped with 30 - 60 kph winds within 36 hours, according to the weather agency. </p><p>Palawan, Western Visayas and the Zamboanga peninsula , meanwhile, will experience cloudy skies with scattered rains due to the habagat or southwest monsoon, which Mangkhut will enhance, said Bulquerin. </p><p>The typhoon will be named Ompong when it enters the Philippine area of responsibility on Wednesday morning, he said. </p><p>Visit the <a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/weather">ABS-CBN Weather Center</a> for the latest weather updates. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/09/26/09/15-storm-survival-tips">15 storm-survival tips</a></li></ul><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/08/07/12/prepare-your-own-flood-survival-kit">How to prepare your own flood survival kit</a></li></ul>

<p>Farmers in Cagayan and Isabela, 2 of the country's top rice and corn producing provinces, are rushing to reap their harvests as Typhoon Mangkhut roared closer to northern Luzon, local officials said Wednesday. <br /> </p>

Farmers in Cagayan and Isabela, 2 of the country's top rice and corn producing provinces, are rushing to reap their harvests as Typhoon Mangkhut roared closer to northern Luzon, local officials said Wednesday.