Report: Sierra Madre appears to weaken Kristine

Initial reports suggest Isabela may have been spared from the full force of Severe Tropical Storm Kristine, which has inundated large sections of the Bicol Region and parts of Quezon province. Lawyer Constante Foronda, head of Isabela’s Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management, told a TV interview that the Sierra Madre seems to have weakened Kristine when it made landfall at midnight Thursday, resulting in minimal rains and wind. “But we are not lowering our guard just yet,” he said.