THOUSANDS DISPLACED AS TYPHOON MAN-YI LASHES THE PHILIPPINES

Sun 17 November 2024:

A powerful typhoon has wrecked houses, caused towering tidal surges and forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee to emergency shelters as it cut across the northern Philippines in the sixth major storm to hit the country in less than a month.

At least two people were injured, and over 110,000 others were evacuated as Super Typhoon Man-yi made landfall in the Philippines, bringing heavy rain and strong winds that disrupted flight operations and transport service in various parts of the Southeast Asian country, local media reported on Sunday.

Typhoon Man-yi, also known as Pepito, made landfall late Saturday, injuring two people and affecting over 850,000 people across the country, according to Inquirer.Net.

Typhoon Man-yi slammed into the eastern island province of Catanduanes on Saturday night with sustained winds of up to 195km/h (125mph) and gusts of up to 240km/h (149mph). The country’s weather agency warned of a “potentially catastrophic and life-threatening situation” in provinces along its path.

Heavy rain and strong wind also forced authorities to cancel domestic and international flights as the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines said so far 75 domestic and 18 international flights of Philippine Airlines and Budget carrier Cebu Pacific have been canceled for Sunday and Monday, according to the Manila Times.

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Strong winds uprooted trees, brought down power lines, and ripped off corrugated iron roofing as they swept across the storm-weary Philippines on Sunday, capping an unusual streak of violent weather.

The entire province of Catanduanes had no power after the typhoon knocked down trees and electricity posts, and disaster-response teams were checking how many more houses were damaged in addition to those affected by previous storms, he said. More than 750,000 people took refuge in emergency shelters, including churches and a shopping mall, due to Man-yi and two previous storms mostly in the northern Philippines, civil defence official Cesar Idio and other provincial officials said.

The rare number of back-to-back storms and typhoons that lashed Luzon in just three weeks has killed more than 160 people, affected nine million and caused such extensive damage to residential communities, infrastructure and farmlands that the Philippines may have to import more rice, a staple food for most Filipinos. In an emergency meeting as Man-yi approached, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr asked his cabinet and provincial officials to brace for “the worst-case scenario”.

The Philippines is battered by about 20 typhoons and storms each year. It is often hit by earthquakes and has more than a dozen active volcanoes, making it one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries.

The government also deployed more than 36,000 rescue personnel from the army, air force, navy, and coastguard to assist the affected people and respond quickly to any damage caused by the typhoon.

However, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said the typhoon is expected to weaken later on Sunday.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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