Philippines typhoon: Tens of thousands of people ordered to evacuate as destination braces for Typhoon Tino - officials warn of torrential rains
Tens of thousands of people in the east-central Philippines have been ordered to evacuate to safer grounds as a major typhoon is expected to hit.
Typhoon Kalmaegi, also known as Typhoon Tino, was last spotted approximately 235 kilometres (146 miles) east of Guiuan in Eastern Samar province. It carried sustained winds of up to 120 kilometres (74 miles) per hour and gusts of 150 kph (93 mph), and was forecast to slam into shore later on Monday.
The typhoon is expected to blow westward overnight and on Tuesday, battering central island provinces. This includes Cebu, which is still recovering from a 6.9-magnitude earthquake on 30 September that left at least 79 dead and displaced thousands after their homes collapsed or were severely damaged.
Kalmaegi was forecast to strengthen further over the Philippine Sea before making landfall in Guiuan town or nearby municipalities. Eastern Samar Governor RV Evardone confirmed mandatory evacuation orders were issued from Monday, with army troops, police, firefighters, and disaster-mitigation contingents mobilised to assist.
More than 70,000 people in the coastal towns of Guiuan, Mercedes and Salcedo were ordered to move to evacuation centers or concrete houses and buildings certified as sturdy enough to withstand the impact of the typhoon. The coastal areas were warned of tidal surges of up to 3 meters (nearly 10 feet) high, Evardone said.
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.