Typhoon Usagi strikes Philippines, prompting evacuations
Civil defence workers talk to residents in the northern province of Cagayan as the government ordered evacuations before the landfall of Super Typhoon Usagi. Photo: AFP
Typhoon Usagi slammed into the already disaster-stricken northern Philippines on Thursday, as authorities rushed to evacuate thousands from flood-prone areas.
The fifth storm to strike the country in just three weeks, Usagi made landfall in the town of Baggao in Cagayan province at 0530 GMT, packing winds of 175 kilometres (109 miles) an hour, the national weather service said, News.Az reports, citing AFP.The brutal wave of weather disasters has already killed 159 people and prompted the United Nations to request $32.9 million in aid for the worst-affected regions.
The national weather agency had initially raised its highest storm alert, but downgraded to its second-highest as Usagi made landfall.
It weakened to 165 kilometres an hour as it ploughed north to the municipality of Gonzaga and open waters beyond it.
Baggao police said no casualties or substantial damage were immediately reported, while 28 residents of a village were evacuated amid concern it would get flooded.
"It was weaker than we expected," a relieved police officer, Karen Ibarra, told AFP by phone.
President Ferdinand Marcos, visiting storm-affected areas to dole out emergency cash aid, urged residents to comply with evacuation orders.
"We know that it is difficult to leave your homes and possessions, but sheltering could save lives," he told residents of Mindoro island south of the capital Manila, according to an official transcript of his speech.
"While we cannot prevent typhoons from hitting the country, we can take steps to reduce their impact," he said, calling for better infrastructure to cope with worsening storm effects he blamed on climate change.
A UN assessment of the past month's weather disasters said 207,000 houses had been damaged or destroyed, and nearly 700,000 people were seeking temporary shelter.
Many families were without even essentials like sleeping mats, hygiene kits, and cooking supplies, and had limited access to safe drinking water, it said.
The storms destroyed thousands of hectares of farmland and persistent flooding is likely to delay replanting efforts and worsen food supply problems, the report added.
About 20 big storms and typhoons hit the archipelago nation or its surrounding waters each year, killing scores of people and keeping millions in enduring poverty.
A recent study showed that storms in the Asia-Pacific region are increasingly forming closer to coastlines, intensifying more rapidly and lasting longer over land due to climate change.
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