Five million could be hit by super storm as gusts of up to 255km/h are expected

This article is more than 11 months old

This article is more than 11 months old

The Philippines is braced for one of the strongest typhoons in its history, as authorities evacuate families in their thousands, close schools and put rescuers and troops on full alert in the country’s north.

Five million people are expected to be affected by Typhoon Mangkhut, which experts have categorised as a super typhoon with powerful winds and gusts equivalent to a category-5 Atlantic hurricane.

By Friday morning, almost 10,000 people across three regions had been evacuated and 22 domestic flights cancelled. By the evening, strong winds had already downed trees in Tuguegarao, a city in the main northern island of Luzon, where almost all businesses had been shuttered and police were patrolling otherwise quiet streets.

Weather experts said the storm almost matched the strength of Typhoon Haiyan, which left more than 7,300 people dead or missing and displaced more than five million in the central Philippines in 2013.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Huge waves crash into the coast in Taitung county, eastern Taiwan on Friday. Photograph: -/AFP/Getty Images

Mangkhut was on course to hit north-eastern Cagayan province early on Saturday local time. It was tracked on Friday about 250 miles (450km) away in the Pacific with sustained winds of 205km/h and gusts of up to 255km/h, Philippine forecasters said. Forecasts indicated that waves could climb to six metres on the coasts of Cagayan.

It was predicted to travel across the South China Sea and pass within 62 miles of Hong Kong on Sunday morning.

With a massive rain-cloud band 560 miles wide, combined with seasonal monsoon rains, the typhoon could bring intense rains that could trigger landslides and flash floods, the forecasters said. Storm warnings were raised in 25 provinces across Luzon, restricting sea and air travel.

Ricardo Jalad, the country’s civil defence chief, told an emergency meeting led by President Rodrigo Duterte that about 4.2 million people in Cagayan, nearby Isabela province and outlying regions were vulnerable to the most destructive effects near the typhoon’s 78 mile eye. Nearly 48,000 houses in those high-risk areas are made of light materials and vulnerable to Mangkhut’s winds.

CNN (@CNN) Video shows Super Typhoon Mangkhut tearing through Guam, in the western Pacific.



It has caused widespread flooding and power loss, with parts of the US territory still without electricity on Thursday morning. https://t.co/EhtUajxigs pic.twitter.com/JKMPvHpWBK

Across the north, residents covered glass windows with wooden boards, strengthened houses with rope and braces and moved fishing boats to safety.

Manuel Mamba, the governor of Cagayan, said that evacuations of residents from risky coastal villages and island municipalities north of the rice-and corn-producing province of 1.2 million people have started and school classes at all levels have been cancelled.

Rappler (@rapplerdotcom) #WeatherAlert: Isabela, Cagayan, and the northern part of Aurora are now under Signal No. 3 due to Typhoon #OmpongPH as of 8 am on Friday, September 14.



READ: https://t.co/8QBEv5bg7f pic.twitter.com/osuRF2ZhZw

“The weather here is still good but we’re moving them now because it’s very important that when it comes, people will be away from peril,” Mamba said.

A change in the typhoon’s track prompted authorities to rapidly reassess where to redeploy emergency teams and supplies, Mamba said.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Villagers secure a boat in Aparri, Cagayan province. Photograph: Francis R. Malasig/EPA

Duterte asked cabinet officials from the north to help oversee disaster-response work if needed, but told reporters it was too early to consider seeking foreign aid.

“It would depend on the severity of the crisis,” Duterte said. “If it flattens everything, maybe we need to have some help.”

The typhoon is approaching at the start of the rice and corn harvesting season in Cagayan, a major agricultural producer, and farmers were scrambling to save what they could of their crops, Mamba said. The threat to agriculture comes as the Philippines tries to cope with rice shortages.

Officials said other northern provinces started evacuating residents from high-risk areas, including in northern mountain provinces prone to landslides.

Mike Hudema (@MikeHudema) More than 43 million people could be affected by Super Typhoon #Mangkhut, predicted to be most powerful storm since records began and Hong Kong could take direct hit: https://t.co/b95L8TmTmo



The warning signs are everywhere. We must act on #climate.#ActOnClimate #energy pic.twitter.com/HzZyHYi7nm

Duterte cancelled his appearance at a missile test firing aboard a navy ship off northern Bataan province due to the approaching typhoon.

On Guam, where Mangkhut passed, residents dealt with flooded streets, downed trees and widespread power outages. Government agencies were conducting damage assessments and clearing roads, according to the Pacific Daily News. About 80% of the US territory was without power but it was restored by Thursday morning.

Mangkhut, a Thai word for the mangosteen fruit, is the 15th storm this year to batter the Philippines, which is hit by about 20 a year and is considered one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries.

Carmela Fonbuena contributed reporting</s>MANILA, Philippines (AP) - The most powerful typhoon of the season is closing in on the northern Philippines, where officials ordered precautionary evacuations and closures of schools and offices and urged farmers to quickly harvest their crops to reduce damage.

Forecasters said Typhoon Mangkhut, considered as the strongest this year, could hit northern Cagayan province on Saturday. It was located about 800 kilometers (500 miles) away in the Pacific with sustained winds of 265 kilometers (165 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 325 kph (201 mph). It could maintain the strength of a super typhoon when it hits land in the northeastern corner of Luzon Island.

On Guam, residents woke up Tuesday to flooded streets, downed trees and widespread power outages after Mangkhut passed through overnight.

Filipino forecaster Meno Mendoza illustrates the path of Typhoon Mangkhut, locally named "Typhoon Ompong" as it approaches the Philippines with sustained winds of 205 kilometers per hour (127 miles per hour) and gusts of up to 255 kph (158 mph), at the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration in metropolitan Manila, Philippines on Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018. Philippine officials say they plan to evacuate thousands of villagers, shut down schools and offices and scramble to harvest rice and corn as the most powerful typhoon so far this year menacingly roars toward the country's north. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

The Pacific Daily News reported government agencies were conducting damage assessments and beginning to clear roads. About 80 percent of the U.S. territory was without power but it was restored by Thursday morning.

With a massive rain band 900 kilometers (560 miles) wide, combined with seasonal monsoon rains, the storm could bring heavy to intense rains that could set off landslides and flash floods, Philippine state forecaster Meno Mendoza said.

Cagayan Gov. Manuel Mamba said by telephone that northern coastal and island villages in the typhoon's projected path will begin evacuating residents on Thursday ahead of the expected onslaught. He said classes will be suspended and offices, except those involved in rescue and relief work, advised to close on Friday.

In 2016, a super typhoon lashed the southern section of Cagayan, destroying tens of thousands of houses. Mangkhut is blowing from the Pacific and forecast to directly slam the province's northeastern coastal and island municipalities, Mamba said.

"I'm stressing that this one is very different, this is more complicated because of possible storm surges," Mamba said, referring to giant waves whipped inland by a typhoon.

The typhoon is arriving at the start of the rice and corn harvest season in Cagayan, a major agricultural producer, and farmers were scrambling to save what they could of their crops, Mamba said. The Philippines has been trying to cope with rice shortages.

Office of Civil Defense chief Ricardo Jalad said other northern provinces will also start evacuating residents from low-lying areas on Thursday.

"The worst cases are those areas which will be directly hit by strong winds that can topple houses, storm surges and heavy rains that can cause flooding, and there may be landslides in higher areas," Jalad told reporters.

A missile test aboard a navy ship to be attended by President Rodrigo Duterte off northern Bataan province was canceled due to the approaching typhoon.

After leaving the Philippines, the fast-moving storm is expected to blow toward Hong Kong and southern China on Sunday if it maintains its course, forecasters said.

Mangkhut is the 15th storm this year to batter the Philippines, which is hit by about 20 a year and is considered one of the world's most disaster-prone countries. Typhoon Haiyan left more than 7,300 people dead or missing and displaced over 5 million in the central Philippines in 2013.

This story has been corrected to show that Typhoon Haiyan struck in 2013, not 2014.</s>Manila, Philippines: The most powerful typhoon of the season is closing in on the northern Philippines, where officials ordered precautionary evacuations and closures of schools and offices and urged farmers to quickly harvest their crops to reduce damage.

Forecasters said Typhoon Mangkhut, considered as the strongest this year, could hit northern Cagayan province on Saturday. It was located about 800 kilometres away in the Pacific with sustained winds of 265 kilometres per hour and gusts of up to 325 k/hr. It could maintain the strength of a super typhoon when it hits land in the northeastern corner of Luzon Island.

On Guam, residents woke up Tuesday to flooded streets, downed trees and widespread power outages after Mangkhut passed through overnight.

The Pacific Daily News reported government agencies were conducting damage assessments and beginning to clear roads. About 80 per cent of the US territory was without power but it was restored by Thursday morning.

The storm approaches the Phillipines, as another major weather event, Hurricane Florence will make landfall on the southeast coast of the US later this week.</s>MANILA, Philippines (AP) - Philippine officials have begun evacuating thousands of people in the path of the most powerful typhoon this year, closing schools and readying bulldozers for landslides.

Typhoon Mangkhut, considered as the strongest and most massive so far this season, could hit northeastern Cagayan province on Saturday. It was tracked on Thursday about 725 kilometers (450 miles) away in the Pacific with sustained winds of 205 kilometers (127 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 255 kph (158 mph).

Cagayan Gov. Manuel Mamba tells The Associated Press by telephone that evacuations of residents from risky coastal villages and island municipalities north of the province have started and classes in all levels have been canceled.

Filipino forecaster Meno Mendoza illustrates the path of Typhoon Mangkhut, locally named "Typhoon Ompong" as it approaches the Philippines with sustained winds of 205 kilometers per hour (127 miles per hour) and gusts of up to 255 kph (158 mph), at the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration in metropolitan Manila, Philippines on Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018. Philippine officials say they plan to evacuate thousands of villagers, shut down schools and offices and scramble to harvest rice and corn as the most powerful typhoon so far this year menacingly roars toward the country's north. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Government forces have been placed on full alert.</s>The Philippines is bracing for a major storm that's expected to make landfall at the weekend.

Super Typhoon Mangkhut - known locally as Ompong - is currently moving across the Pacific Ocean towards the Philippines, with winds of more than 205km/h and gusts of up to 255km/h.

The storm's expected to hit an area at the north of the main island Luzon on Saturday morning, with heavy rain expected from Friday.

Local authorities have put emergency measures in place ahead of the typhoon's arrival amid fears of flooding and landslides.

Millions of people live in the potential path of the storm, and evacuations have already begun in a number of coastal communities.

It's believed the storm could move towards coastal China once it passes over the Philippines.

Aid agency Oxfam said it is preparing to respond to what could be the strongest island to hit the Philippines this year.

The charity's Philippines Country Director, Maria Rosario Felizco, observed: "Super Typhoon Mangkhut is bringing very destructive winds and torrential rainfall, and it could cause storm surges and flash flooding in northern Philippines.

"We are also concerned about the potential for landslides, due to the mountainous terrain in northern Luzon, and flooding from the expected heavy torrential rain."

She added that the consequences from the storm "could be devastating", noting that aid agencies are on high alert ahead of the typhoon's arrival.

The Philippines is hit by around 20 storms every year, typically including a number of destructive typhoons.</s>These maps show the latest projected path of Super Typhoon Mangkhut as it bears down on the Philippines. Mangkhut is currently 465 nautical miles (535 miles) east of Manila on the island of Lurzon in the Philippines. The super typhoon is tracking west-northwestward as it approaches Philippines from the east. Typhoon Mangkhut is forecast to make landfall early on Saturday on the northern tip of Luzon island.

It will be the strongest of 15 storms to have hit the Philippines this year. Mangkhut is on track to be as strong as Super Typhoon Haiyan which had a devastating impact when it hit the Philippines in 2013, and killed thousands, but it hit a more populated part of the country. The Red Cross said it has put teams on the highest level of alert across the island and warned high winds and torrential winds could cause widespread damage to islands and coastal areas of Luzon. When it reaches the Philippines early on Saturday morning, tropical storm-force winds are expected to extend all the way to the south to the Philippines capital, Manila and as far north as Taiwan.

More than four million people are in the path of the most destructive typhoon-force winds in northern Luzon, but thousands have started to evacuate. Richard Gordon, chairman of the Philippines Red Cross said: “We’re worried for the 10 million people in the Philippines living in the path of this destructive storm, including those who have been displaced several times due to the monsoon rains last July and August. “We are preparing our emergency assets and relief items. Our staff and volunteers are on high alert for possible deployment.” The storm which has winds of up to 160 mph (255kph) has a diameter of about 900km.

Mangkhut is drawing comparisons with Typhoon Haiyan which devastated central areas of the archipelago nation in 2013, killing 6,300 people. Vicente Malano, administrator of Philippine weather agency PAGASA said: “We are not just looking at floods. It could generate a storm surge upon landfall.” PAGASA said the storm surge could be as high as six metres - the equivalent to a two-storey building. The main concerns from this super typhoon is flooding, landslides and wind damage, as authorities prepared equipment and personnel for rescue and relief operations.
Super Typhoon Mangkhut (Ompong) approaches the Philippines as one of the strongest in its history, with sustained winds of 205 kilometres per hour (127 mph) and gusts of up to 285 km/h (177 mph).