More than half a million people were evacuated from their homes when Super Typhoon Man-yi hit the east coast of Catanduanes, Philippines, on Saturday (16).
Winds of up to 260 km/h make Man-yi the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane.
More than 500,000 people in the country’s Bicol region have been evacuated, a disaster official told DZRH radio, according to Reuters, on Saturday.
This number is expected to increase. At least 26,000 people in the country’s Northern Samar province left their homes on Friday (15) and Saturday, according to the Philippine News Agency (PNA), run by the country’s government.
An additional 18,000 people were preemptively evacuated from Eastern Samar and Samar provinces, PNA reported. Patients and staff at the Arteche District Hospital of Eastern Samar were evacuated to the city hall in the area.
Man-yi underwent rapid intensification on Friday, jumping from a tropical storm to a super typhoon on Saturday morning.
The increase of 88 km/h in 24 hours far exceeds the definition of rapid intensification, which is 56 km/h in 24 hours. Signal 5 warnings have been issued for the Catanduanes area by the Philippine meteorological agency PAGASA. This is the highest level for warnings that can be issued.
Catanduanes Governor Joseph Boboy Cua called for “continuous prayers” for the area in a Facebook post, PNA reported.
“Most importantly, we pray that you will not forget Catanduanes. We appeal to your power restoration teams, free calls and text booths, in-kind donations, help and attention, especially after the typhoon leaves the country,” he said in the Facebook post, according to PNA.
Man-yi will be the fourth typhoon to hit the Philippines in less than two weeks – an event the country has never seen before, according to an analysis by CNN from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s historical hurricane database.
Unlike the previous three typhoons, Man-yi will be further south, impacting a much larger number of people.
After crossing Catanduanes, Man-yi is expected to reach a region about 110 km northeast of Manila this Sunday afternoon (17).
The storm is expected to bring several meters of potentially catastrophic surge, widespread high winds and power outages, severe flooding and landslides across a significant swath of eastern Luzon.
2024 is expected to be the hottest year on record, according to the WMO
This content was originally published in Philippines: Half a million people seek refuge as super typhoon Man-Yi hits the country on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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