An extremely powerful typhoon with wind gusts of up to 230 kilometers per hour is heading towards the region of Catanduanes, located in the eastern part of the Philippines.
The typhoon has been named Man-yi. About 255,000 people have left their homes ahead of the typhoon’s arrival.
The Philippine weather service announced early on Saturday morning that the typhoon has increased in strength, so that it is now a so-called super typhoon.
According to the weather service, it is a super typhoon when the strongest wind gusts reach over 185 kilometers per hour.
Man-yi is expected to go ashore either on Saturday or in the early hours of Sunday.
The National Weather Service has warned that the winds will cause serious damage and will bring life-threatening flooding.
The water level in the sea around Catanduanes is expected to rise by 14 meters, while the typhoon can cause storm surges of over three meters.
Man-yi looks set to become the sixth typhoon to hit the Philippines in the past five weeks. At least 163 people have lost their lives during the typhoon’s fury.
On Saturday, the Philippine government urged the public to follow the instructions issued by the authorities.
– If a preventive evacuation is necessary, do it. Don’t wait until the eleventh hour before you evacuate or seek help.
– If you wait, you not only endanger your own lives, but also those of our rescuers, says the country’s Minister of the Interior, Marlo Iringan.
Annually, about 20 storms and typhoons hit the Philippines and surrounding waters. However, it is rare for a large number of storms and typhoons to hit the island state within a shorter period of time.
According to AFP, a recent study shows that storms in the Asia and Pacific region due to climate change are increasingly forming closer to the coasts, intensifying faster in strength and staying longer over land.
/ritzau/AFP
Source: www.kristeligt-dagblad.dk
