The Philippines has evacuated tens of thousands of people and canceled dozens of flights on Saturday, November 16, as Super Typhoon Man-Yi approached, bringing the threat of heavy rains, strong winds, floods, and storm surges.
With winds reaching 185 kph (115 mph), the storm is heading for the eastern part of Luzon, prompting the country’s weather agency to issue a second-highest alert for the provinces of Catanduanes and Camarines Sur.
Man-Yi, which is expected to make landfall near Catanduanes on Saturday night or early Sunday, has already forced the evacuation of nearly 180,000 people in the central Bicol region, according to disaster agency data.
The typhoon is the sixth tropical storm to hit the Philippines in just a month, intensifying concerns about widespread damage.
In addition to the evacuations, dozens of flights in the eastern Visayas region facing the Pacific Ocean have been canceled, and authorities have warned of dangerous storm surges of up to 3 meters (10 feet) along coastal areas of Luzon.
While the storm is expected to weaken as it moves over land, it is predicted to remain a typhoon until it reaches the South China Sea.
With an average of 20 tropical storms hitting the Philippines annually, the nation is accustomed to such extreme weather.
In October, floods and landslides caused by Tropical Storm Trami and Typhoon Kong-rey killed 162 people, with 22 still missing.
This year’s storms have also occurred alongside a record event: four storms were churning in the western Pacific Ocean simultaneously for the first time since records began in 1951, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
