“NCR is in greatest danger here,” Interior Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla told the briefing. “NCR is very vulnerable to flooding again.”
Man-yi gained strength overnight in the western Pacific, with sustained winds of up to 150kmh and gusts of up to 185kmh. It is forecast to make landfall in the eastern Catanduanes province between Saturday evening and Sunday morning.
Another typhoon, Usagi, weakened sharply on Friday after bearing down on the Philippines’ northern towns, blowing away houses in its path before heading towards Taiwan.
No casualties have yet been reported from Usagi but thousands of families living in vulnerable communities have fled ahead of its arrival.
Rueli Rapsing, head of the Cagayan disaster relief office, said town officials are still checking the extent of the damage from the storm.
“There were more homes that were partially or totally blown after Marce (Typhoon Yinxing). Currently, we’re moving around assessing the damage,” Rapsing said on Friday.
Mandatory evacuations of vulnerable residents in coastal towns in Typhoon Man-yi’s path will begin on Friday, the interior ministry said.
In October, Tropical Storm Trami and Typhoon Kong-rey brought heavy flooding and triggered landslides, killing 162 people with 22 still missing, according to government data.
Four storms churned in the western Pacific ocean at the same time this month, the first time it has happened since records began in 1951, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
About 20 tropical storms strike the Philippines each year on average, bringing heavy rains, strong winds and deadly landslides.
In 2013, Typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest typhoons ever recorded slammed the central city of Tacloban, killing more than 6,300 people.
Storms have become stronger, drawing energy from warmer waters, while rising sea levels are also making low-lying coastlines more vulnerable.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/philippines-braces-typhoon-man-yi-usagi-weakens-4749326
