More than 150,000 people were evacuated today from the coastal provinces of , as the powerful , approaches the region, according to local authorities.
The typhoon is approaching from the Visayas archipelago with sustained winds of 140 km/h and gusts of up to 170 km/h, the country’s weather service said.
As of 8 p.m. local time, “almost 156,000 people” had evacuated as a precaution, Rafaelito Alejandro, deputy director of the civil protection office, said during a news conference, adding that the typhoon was expected to arrive after midnight.
Earlier, disaster management official Roel Montesa said evacuation operations were underway in Palo and Tanauan. These two areas, which have a population of 140,000 as of the latest census in 2024, were already hit hard in 2013 by super typhoon Haiyan, which killed at least 6,000 people.
Thousands of residents have also been evacuated since Sunday on the neighboring island of Samar, where waves of 3 meters are expected, according to a civil protection official, Randy Nikart.
And 10,000-15,000 people were taken to safety in the neighboring province of Dinagat Islands, according to its governor, Nilo Demerei.
“Currently, heavy rains and winds are being recorded. We are sitting on the stairs and praying, trying to assess the strength of the typhoon,” Miriam Vargas, a 34-year-old mother, sitting in the dark with her two children in Dinagat province, told AFP.
“The wind is blowing and we hear the noise of objects falling. We’ve had no power for an hour and we can’t see anything,” he described.
