Thousands of people in the Philippines have been evacuated from coastal areas ahead of a major typhoon, authorities announced on Thursday. The evacuation comes a week after a tropical typhoon killed at least 150 people.
The state weather agency reports that Typhoon Yinxing, with sustained wind speeds of 175 kilometres (109 miles) per hour, could make landfall in the northern part of the Philippines later in the day or early Friday.
According to the National Disaster Agency, Yinxing is the third storm to threaten the Philippines in under a month, following Severe Tropical Storm Trami and Super Typhoon Kong-Rey, which have resulted in 158 fatalities. The majority of these deaths are linked to Trami.
Rueli Rapsing, a provincial rescue official, told AFP that at least 17,000 people from coastal areas of Cagayan province were moved to temporary shelters on Wednesday to avoid potential flooding from heavy rains slamming the region.
“I’m expecting more evacuees to arrive since there is an ongoing evacuation in the municipalities,” Rapsing said.
The national meteorological organisation indicated that Cagayan, which has a population of approximately 1.3 million residents, could be most affected by Yinxing according to its present path.
“We have already depleted the quick response fund of the province and we’re actually asking the National Disaster Council for the replenishment of the quick response fund so we can provide assistance,” Rapsing said.
In Ilocos Norte province, near Cagayan, emergency responders were on standby to assist local police, firefighters, and military personnel, according to provincial rescue official Randy Nicolas in an interview with AFP.
Nicolas mentioned that they are vigilantly observing possible landslides, flooding, and rising river levels in the region, while storm surges—massive waves along the coast—are also a concern for Ilocos Norte and Cagayan. Disaster management officials in the mountainous area of Apayao reported that nearly 500 individuals have been evacuated.
“We really prioritised preemptive evacuations because we want to have zero deaths here in Apayao,” provincial disaster official Aldrin Agmata told AFP.
Schools in the northern part of the country have been suspended and the President, Ferdinand Marcos, has placed all agencies on high alert so they can respond swiftly.
“Remember, every life is important, so we should always be prepared,” Marcos said in a statement on Wednesday.
