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Very good Storm Fung-Wong, The The biggest typhoon to threaten the Philippines This year, landslides began hitting the country’s northeastern coast even before Sunday, forcing thousands of people to evacuate.
Fang-Vong, which with its 1,600 km wide rain and wind band can cover two-thirds of the Southeast Asian archipelago, is coming from Calm When philippines still dealing with the devastation Cyclone Kalmegi, which killed at least 204 people Before beating the Central Island provinces on Tuesday vietnamWhere at least five people were killed.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared a state of emergency Due to the widespread devastation caused by Kalamaegi and the expected disaster from Fung-Wong, known as Uwan in the Philippines.
Fung-Wong, with winds of 185 km per hour and gusts up to 230 km per hour, was spotted by government forecasters on Sunday morning about 125 km northeast of the city of Virac in Catanduanes province, where it is already being felt. The storm is expected to move northwest and make landfall in Aurora or Isabela provinces late Sunday or early Monday, state forecasters said.
The Philippines evacuated more than 100,000 residents from its eastern and northern regions. Typhoon alert signals have been raised over large parts of the Philippines, Signal No. 5, the highest alert, has been imposed over southeastern Luzon, including Catanduanes and the coastal areas of Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur, while Metro manila And the surrounding areas are under signal number 3.
Tropical cyclones with sustained winds of 185 km per hour or more are classified as super typhoons in the Philippines, a designation adopted years ago to underline the urgency associated with such extreme weather disturbances.
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., who oversees the country’s disaster response agencies and military, warned about Fung-Wong’s potentially devastating impact in televised comments Saturday. He said the typhoon could affect large parts of the country, including Cebu, the central provinces most affected by Typhoon Kalmegi, and the metropolis. manilaThe densely populated capital region is the center of power and financial center of the country.
Mr Teodoro asked people to follow authorities’ orders to immediately move away from villages and towns prone to floods, landslides and coastal tidal waves. “We need to do this because it is difficult to rescue people when it is already raining or a storm has come and started flooding,” Mr. Teodoro said.
The Philippines has not asked for international help following the devastation caused by Kalamayagi, but Mr. Teodoro said the United States, a longtime treaty ally of the country, and Japan Were ready to provide assistance.
Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro of the Civil Protection Office said that as Fung-Wong approached with its wide band of fierce winds and rain, many eastern towns and villages lost power.
About 50,000 families were evacuated from high-risk villages in Bicol, a northeastern coastal region vulnerable to Pacific cyclones and mudflows from Mayon, one of the country’s most active volcanoes.
Authorities in northern provinces affected or likely to be affected by Fung-vong announced the closure of schools and most government offices on Monday. Many domestic flights were canceled in the at-risk provinces, and more than 6,600 passengers and cargo workers were stranded in at least 86 ports, where the coast guard blocked ships from sailing in rapidly rising seas.
The Philippines is hit by about 20 typhoons and storms every year. The country experiences frequent earthquakes and has more than a dozen active volcanoes, making it one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world.
(With inputs from Reuters)