Thousands of villages were ordered to evacuate and ports shut down, officials said Monday, as the country was struck by Typhoon “Nika” —the fourth in less than a month.
And while “Nika” is forecast to exit the Philippine area of responsibility today, the state weather bureau said two tropical cyclones are expected to barrel through the country this week.
PAGASA said a tropical depression was located outside the PAR, moving west northwestward at a fast pace and estimated at 1,480 kms east of Eastern Visayas. Once it enters the country today, it would be named “Ofel.”
Another tropical cyclone with the international name “Man-yi” was spotted east of Guam and may enter the PAR before the weekend. It would be named “Pepito” and may head toward Bicol or Eastern Visayas.
The government ordered 2,500 villages to be evacuated on Sunday as “Nika” came on the heels of three cyclones in less than a month that killed 159 people.
Signal no. 4 was raised in Kalinga, Mountain Province, the northern portion of Ifugao, the central and southern portion of Abra, and the northern and central portions of Ilocos Sur.
Signal no. 3 was hoisted over the northern portion of Quirino, the northeastern portion of Nueva Vizcaya, the central portion of Isabela, the southwestern portion of Cagayan, the southern portion of Apayao, the rest of Abra, the rest of Ifugao, the northern portion of Benguet, the southern portion of Ilocos Norte, and the rest of Ilocos Sur.
“Nika” packs maximum sustained winds of 120 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 200 kph, PAGASA said.
Schools and government offices were shut in areas expected to be hit hardest.
Nearly 700 passengers were stranded at ports, according to a coast guard tally on Monday, with the weather service warning that “sea travel is risky for all types or tonnage of vessels.”
Last week, Typhoon “Marce” slammed into the country’s north coast, damaging houses and buildings. A 12-year-old girl was crushed to death in one incident.
Before that, Severe Tropical Storm “Kristine” and Super Typhoon “Leon” together left 158 people dead, with most of the tally attributed to “Kristine.”
About 20 big storms and typhoons hit the Philippines each year.
A recent study showed that storms in the Asia-Pacific region are increasingly forming closer to coastlines, intensifying more rapidly and lasting longer over land due to climate change. With AFP
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