MANILA, NOV 7 – The Philippines has evacuated thousands of residents from coastal areas ahead of a major typhoon, officials said today, just weeks after the tropical cyclone left at least 150 dead.
Typhoon Yinxing, with a maximum wind speed of 175 kilometers per hour, is expected to hit the northern part of the Philippines late today or early Friday, according to the country’s weather agency.
It is the third storm in less than a month to threaten the Philippines after Tropical Storm Trami and Typhoon Kong-rey which together caused 158 deaths, mostly due to Trami, the national disaster agency said.
At least 17,000 residents from coastal areas in Cagayan province, in the northernmost part of the country, moved to temporary shelters yesterday to avoid flooding due to heavy rains that are currently lashing the area, provincial rescue official Rueli Rapsing told AFP.
“I expect more residents to arrive because the evacuation process is still ongoing in some townships,” said Rapsing.
The national weather agency said that Cagayan, which is home to around 1.3 million people, will likely suffer the worst impact from Typhoon Yinxing based on the latest storm track.
“We have run out of provincial immediate response funds and now we are applying to the national disaster council to renew the funds so that we can provide assistance,” said Rapsing.
In Ilocos Norte province near Cagayan, rescue teams are preparing to assist local police, firefighters, and the military in emergency operations, according to provincial rescue officer Randy Nicolas, to AFP.
Nicolas said they are closely monitoring the possibility of landslides, floods, and river overflows in the province, with storm surges that triggered large waves along the coast also a concern in Ilocos Norte and Cagayan.
Disaster officials in the mountainous region of Apayao said that nearly 500 people had been evacuated.
“We really prioritize early evacuation because we want to make sure there are no deaths in Apayao,” regional disaster officer Aldrin Agmata told AFP.
Schools in many northern areas have been closed and President Ferdinand Marcos has ordered all government agencies to be on high alert in order to respond quickly.
“Remember, every life is important, so we must always be prepared,” said Marcos in a statement yesterday. – AFP
