Philippines officials have ordered evacuations and closed schools and offices in preparation for Typhoon Mangkhut’s winds of more than 200 kilometres per hour.
The Philippines is bracing for Typhoon Mangkhut, the most powerful storm this year, which is also expected to impact southern China and parts of Thailand.
Philippines officials have ordered evacuations and closed schools and offices in preparation for Typhoon Mangkhut’s winds of more than 200 kilometres per hour.
The Philippine Red Cross told The Nation that its emergency workers were on standby. Richard Gordon, its chairman, said, “We’re worried for the 10 million people in the Philippines living in the path of this destructive storm, including those who have been displaced several times due to the monsoon rains last July and August.”
With a massive rain band 900 kilometres wide, the storm could bring “heavy to intense” rains that could set off landslides and flash floods, forecaster Meno Mendoza said.
Typhoon Haiyan left more than 7,300 people dead or missing and displaced more than five million in the central Philippines in 2013.
After leaving the Philippines, the fast-moving storm is expected to blow toward southern China on Sunday if it maintains its course, forecasters said.
Thailand is also bracing for a series of heavy rains brought by two approaching storms during the next seven days.
The Meteorological Department has warned that many parts of Thailand will see a large amount of precipitation from Tropical Storm Barijat, which will affect the northern and north-eastern region, and Typhoon Mangkhut, which will affect some areas of the central, eastern, and south-western region from next Sunday until Tuesday.
The monsoon will also stir the sea, causing rough conditions and waves up to three metres in both Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. It would be dangerous for small boats to go out to sea during this period, the Meteorological Department cautioned.