Typhoon Noul crashed ashore on
the northeastern tip of the Philippines on Sunday, as officials
warned of landslides and called on residents along the coast to
evacuate to safer ground.
The category five storm packed winds of up to 185 kph (115
mph) near the centre, with gusts of up to 220 kph. It made
landfall in the rice-producing province of Cagayan about 400 km
(250 miles) north of the capital, Manila, the weather bureau
said.
Power was cut in Tuguegarao City, the capital of the province
of around a million inhabitants. The typhoon is expected to move
northwest at 17 kph and head towards southern Japan on Tuesday.
"We strongly advise pre-emptive evacuation while we still
have time, and we expect there will be a confluence of events -
a high tide, heavy rainfall in the mountains, the possibility of
a storm surge and strong winds," Alexander Pama, head of the
national disaster agency, told a news briefing before the
typhoon hit land.
The typhoon was expected to trigger landslides and flash
floods in parts of the Cagayan Valley, the weather bureau said,
adding that heavy to intense rainfall was likely within the
typhoon's 100 km diameter.
More than 5,000 passengers and about 100 vessels were
stranded in ports on Saturday, mostly along the eastern
seaboard. Airline Cebu Pacific cancelled at least six
domestic flights to the northern Philippines.
Officials in northern Philippine provinces have alerted
rescue units and positioned relief goods. The government readied
trucks to ferry people away from low-lying and flood-prone
areas.
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