Authorities in the Philippines were on high alert on Sunday as Super Typhoon Noru began hitting the country’s eastern islands on a path towards the main island of Luzon.
The eye of the storm, known locally in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Karding, was reaching the Polillo Islands at 5 pm local time, according to an update from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
The storm has sustained winds of 240 km/h, with gusts of up to 295 km/h, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center.
Authorities previously issued an extreme emergency alert when the storm reached super typhoon status early Sunday morning local time after suddenly intensifying.
“The highest emergency preparedness and response protocol has been activated in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa and the Bicol region,” said the National Council on Disaster Risk Reduction and Management.
He urged the public to be careful, adding that strong winds are expected to hit within the next 18 hours.
The typhoon is expected to hit the northern part of Quezon or the southern part of Aurora at night, PAGASA said in an hourly live television bulletin. At the time, he said he did not rule out a landing on the Polillo Islands in the afternoon.
Schools in several cities, including Muntinlupa City and Aurora, suspended classes on Monday, September 26, due to the approaching storm.
According to CNN Weather, Noru now has winds equal to a Category 5 hurricane in the US.
It is expected to bring big waves and storms, torrential rain and winds in excess of 200 km/h to Luzon in the next 24 hours.
PAGASA issued a level four warning signal for the Polillo Islands, anticipating major damage that could be caused by the storm.
The warning came after the storm quickly intensified in the early hours of Sunday.
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center said it went from a 140 km/h typhoon to a 250 km/h super typhoon in just six hours.
PAGASA has also issued level two and three alerts for much of Luzon, including metropolitan Manila.
Tropical Storm Talas kills two in Japan
Meanwhile, officials in Japan said on Sunday that two people had died in landslides caused by Tropical Storm Talas.
One person is missing after his car fell into a river, the Shizuoka prefectural government said.
The prefecture recorded the highest daily rainfall on record, including a record rainfall of 416.5 mm (over 16 inches) in Suruga-ku, Shizuoka City, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
During the rain, the city asked 1,200,000 families – approximately 3 million people – to evacuate.
More than 1,000 houses and a large number of roads in the prefecture were flooded, he said, adding that several bridges had collapsed.
— CNN’s Haley Brink contributed to this story
Source: CNN Brasil
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