Philippines prepares for major Typhoon Koppu
People in the northern Philippines have been put on alert by authorities as powerful Typhoon Koppu approaches the country and is forecast to bring heavy rain and flooding there.
Authorities on Saturday canceled flights, urging residents and tourists to move to safer ground in the main island of Luzon located on the northern end of the archipelago.
The typhoon is moving west in the Pacific Ocean, and is due to make landfall in the Philippines the next 12 to 18 hours, said weather authorities, adding that it is packing winds of up to 160 kilometers per hour.
Four already missing
In the capital, Manila, rain already started, as officials from disaster agencies across the country asked hundreds of people living in vulnerable coastal or low-lying land to evacuate due to the risk of floods, landslides and storm surges of up to 2 meters, local media reported.
At least 14 domestic flights were suspended, and the country’s Coast Guard halted a search and rescue operation for a missing yacht with four people on board in the South China Sea.
Gabriel Llave, a disaster official from the city of Baler located in the northern province of Aurora, said, “We are asking 2,000 foreign and local tourists, most of them surfers, to abandon seaside resorts and go to safer areas.”
Sea vessels, including ferries and fishing boats, were also warned to seek shelter or stay in ports.
In a TV address on Friday, President Benigno Aquino said the storm could bring up to 12 hours of torrential rain and cause severe flooding. Aquino urged an estimated six million people in the typhoon’s direct path to heed government warnings and be ready to evacuate their homes when necessary.
In 2013, massive Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines, leaving more than 6,000 people dead and thousands more displaced and or injured.
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