(Manila) The typhoon Toraji made landfall on Monday in the northeast of the Philippines, according to the national meteorological agency, leading to the evacuation of residents and the closure of ports, while the country has already been hit by three powerful typhoons in less than a month.
Published yesterday at 10:26 p.m.
Toraji made landfall Monday at 8:10 a.m. local time (7:10 p.m. Eastern time) near the town of Dilasag, about 220 kilometers northeast of the capital Manila, the national weather agency said, without disclosing casualties or damage.
“We are being hit by strong winds and heavy rain. Some trees are toppled and the electricity has been cut since yesterday,” Merwina Pableo, head of the town of Dinalungan, located near Dilasag, in charge of disaster management, told AFP.
“We cannot yet go out to assess the damage,” he added.
At least 1,400 people have already been evacuated in Dinalungan and Baler, located 80 kilometers further south, areas close to the coasts as well as areas threatened by flooding and landslides, according to local authorities.
Residents of 2,500 villages were ordered to evacuate on Sunday, but the national disaster management agency had not yet specified on Monday how many people had already been sheltered.
Schools, ports and administrative buildings were also closed in areas deemed particularly at risk.
On Monday, the national weather agency warned of strong winds and heavy rainfall in the north of the country. It also warned of giant waves that could crash into the shores of the main island of Luzon.
“All sailors should remain in port or, if en route, seek shelter or a safe port as soon as possible until the winds and waves subside,” said the same source.
Torajiwith winds reaching maximum speeds of 130 km/h, is the fourth typhoon to hit the Philippines in less than a month, following the passage of Trami, Kong-rey et Yinxingwhich left a total of 159 dead.
The typhoon Yinxing hit the northern coast of the country on Thursday, killing a 12-year-old girl and damaging buildings.
A few weeks earlier, the violent tropical storm Trami and the super typhoon Kong-rey had caused 158 deaths, according to the national disaster management agency.
Around 20 major storms and typhoons hit the archipelago or its surrounding waters each year.
Storms in the Asia-Pacific region are forming closer to shore, intensifying faster and lasting longer over land due to climate change, a recent study shows.
