Philippine govt. orders evacuations as Super Typhoon Usagi approaches

As the storm-ravaged Philippines gets ready for its fifth typhoon in a month and waits for a sixth later this week, authorities ordered evacuations in towns in the northeast on Thursday before Super Typhoon Usagi arrived.

According to government data, over 24,000 individuals have been evacuated from the province of Cagayan, including those who had to leave their villages due to previous typhoons.

Usagi, known locally as Ofel, is forecast to make landfall in the province on Thursday afternoon.

Head of the Cagayan disaster relief office, Rueli Rapsing, said “We are expecting the Cagayan River to swell again because of rain brought by Usagi.”

He added that central and southern parts of Cagayan were experiencing moderate to heavy rain, while other parts of the province had gusty wind of up to 100km/h.

Another tropical storm, Man-yi, is on its way to the central Philippines and is expected to make landfall on Saturday.

Non-essential ground travel in the central provinces is discouraged, according to a transport ministry advise issued on Thursday.

Every year, approximately 20 tropical storms hit the Philippines, bringing torrential rain, high winds, and fatal landslides.

Storm Trami and Kong-rey pounded the main island of Luzon in October, killing 159 people and leaving 22 more missing, according to national disaster agency data.