A fourth cyclone in less than a month hit the disaster-weary Philippines on Monday, forcing thousands of people to seek shelter, closing ports, and blocking mountain roads due to landslides.
This handout photo taken on November 11, 2024 and received from the Dilasag Municipal Risk Reduction Management Office (MDRRMO) shows government workers removing a fallen electric post on a highway in Dilasag, Aurora province, after Typhoon Toraji hit the nation’s northeast coast. (Photo by Handout / DILASAG MUNICIPAL RISK AND REDUCTION MANAGEMENT OFFICE / AFP)
The Philipines government on Sunday ordered the evacuation of 2, 500 villages in the wake of the fourth major storm that hit the country.
As the Philippines was hit by its fourth cyclone in less than a month, thousands of people sought shelter, ports were closed, and landslides blocked mountain roads, according to AFP.According to the national weather agency, Typhoon Toraji made landfall in the morning close to Dilasag town, which is roughly 220 kilometres (140 miles) northeast of the capital.
“We’re getting hit with strong winds and heavy rain. Merwina Pableo, the civil defence chief of Dinalungan town, which is close to Dilasag, told AFP that some trees are being toppled and that power has been out since yesterday.
Eleven hours after the typhoon ripped through the mountainous interior of the main island of Luzon, provincial rescuers told AFP that no casualties had been reported.In the provinces of Aurora, Isabela, Ifugao, and Mountain Province, they said, at least 8,000 people were relocated from coastal areas and areas vulnerable to landslides and floods.Although the National Disaster Office does not yet have the exact number of evacuees as of Monday, the government ordered the evacuation of 2,500 villages overall on Sunday.
This frame grab taken from video footage on November 11, 2024 and received from the Dinalungan Municipal Risk Reduction Management Office (MDRRMO) shows government workers walking amid fallen banana trees on a highway in Dinalungan, Aurora province, after Typhoon Toraji hit the nation’s northeast coast. (Photo by Handout / Dinalungan Municipal Risk Reduction Management Office / AFP)
Before it is expected to depart in the South China Sea overnight Monday, the typhoon weakened slightly as it struck the mountain ranges of Luzon and was moving towards the provinces of Abra and Ilocos Sur at a speed of 120 kilometres per hour (75 miles per hour), according to the National Weather Service.Three important roads in the Cordillera mountain range were buried by landslides brought on by intense rain, a civil defence official told AFP.
The coast guard reported that 38 crew members and 156 passengers were unharmed when a passenger ferry ran aground in choppy waters off the central island of Romblon.Over a 24-hour period, the northern part of the country was expected to experience severe winds and “intense to torrential” rainfall totalling more than 200 millimetres (eight inches), according to the national weather agency.
This handout photo courtesy of Lie Anne Elacion Fabrigas taken and received on November 11, 2024 shows a fallen tree outside a home in Dilasag, Aurora province after Typhoon Toraji hit the nation’s northeast coast. (Photo by Handout / Courtesy of Lie Anne Elacion Fabrigas / AFP)
Glenn Balanag, a 31-year-old school teacher in the Dilasag landfall area, captured on camera the roaring winds of 130 kilometres per hour (80 miles per hour) that shook the coconut trees surrounding his rural home.Large trees are falling, and we have heard that some homes’ roofs have been harmed. A nearby river is rising, and the rain is still coming down,” he told AFP.
Additionally, it stated that until Tuesday, there was a “moderate to high risk of a storm surge”—giant waves that could reach heights of three meters (10 feet) on the north coast.In regions predicted to be most affected by the most recent typhoon, government buildings and schools were closed.The weather service warned that “sea travel is risky for all types or tonnage of vessels,” and nearly 700 passengers were stranded at ports on or near the typhoon’s path, according to a Coast Guard tally on Monday.
Elson Egargue, the provincial disaster response chief for Aurora, told AFP that after Toraji left the province early in the afternoon, he sent out crews to clear roads.Weather forecaster Veronica Torres told AFP that a tropical depression might also hit the area as early as Thursday night following Toraji.Next week, the Philippines could also be at risk from Tropical Storm Man-yi, which is presently east of Guam, she said.In less than a month, Toraji followed three cyclones that claimed 159 lives.
This handout photo courtesy of Lie Anne Elacion Fabrigas taken and received on November 11, 2024 shows a woman outside her damaged home in Dilasag, Aurora province after Typhoon Toraji hit the nation’s northeast coast. (Photo by Handout / Courtesy of Lie Anne Elacion Fabrigas / AFP)
Typhoon Yinxing struck the nation’s north coast on Thursday, causing damage to homes and other structures.In one instance, a 12-year-old girl was crushed to death.Prior to that, the national disaster agency reported that Severe Tropical Storm Trami and Super Typhoon Kong-rey killed 158 people in total, with Trami being primarily responsible for that number.
Every year, the archipelago nation or the waters around it are struck by about 20 powerful storms and typhoons.According to a recent study, climate change is causing storms in the Asia-Pacific region to form closer to coastlines, intensify more quickly, and last longer over land.
Photo taken on November 11, 2024 and received from the Casiguran Municipal Risk Reduction Management Office (MDRRMO) shows government workers removing a fallen tree on a highway in Casiguran, Aurora province, after Typhoon Toraji hit the nation’s northeast coast. (Photo by Handout / Casiguran Municipal Risk Reduction Management Office / AFP)
