Philippines: Mass evacuations as super typhoon approaches
November 16, 2024
A quarter of a million people have fled their homes as Super Typhoon Man-yi bears down on the Philippines. It will be the sixth major storm to hit the country in the past month, with lethal storm surges predicted.
Typhoon Man-yi (C.) has developed as Typhoon Usagi (top left) weakenedImage: AFP
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The Philippines is once more bracing for a major storm as Super Typhoon Man-yi heads for the archipelago nation, carrying gusts of up to 230 kilometers per hour (around 140 miles per hour).
Four storms brewed in the western Pacific ocean simultaneously this month. This was the first time this had happened since records began in 1951, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
Philippines hit by another major typhoon, more on the way
Typhoon Usagi is the fifth major storm to hit the Philippines in a month, with the weather service warning of torrential rain and "life-threatening" coastal waves. Thousands have sought refuge in emergency shelters.
Image: Noel Celis/AP/dpa/picture alliance
Fifth major storm in three weeks
After four storms that claimed the lives of more than 160 people, displaced millions and devastated farmland, infrastructure and thousands of homes, another typhoon has now swept across the Philippines. On Thursday, the storm hit the coast near Baggao in the north of the country's largest island, Luzon, with wind speeds of 175 kilometers per hour (about 110 miles per hour).
Image: AFP
Destroyed bridges, desperate people
A bridge in the province of Cagayan, near the city of Gonzaga, was completely destroyed by the violent typhoon. Experts had already warned of severe storm damage in advance, particularly to buildings in coastal regions.
Image: AFP
Climate change making storms worse
The unusually high frequency of storms — five in three weeks — hasn't given Filipinos much time to prepare themselves and take shelter. The Philippines is hit by around 20 typhoons every year. However, human-caused climate change has significantly increased the frequency and intensity of the strongest and most devastating tropical cyclones.
Image: JOHN DIMAIN/AFP/Getty Images
First 'preemptive,' then 'forced evacuations'
Around 40,000 people were evacuated in the pouring rain, with officials urging residents to leave their homes. "Yesterday it was preemptive evacuations. Now we're doing forced evacuations," local disaster official Edward Gaspar told the AFP news agency by phone hours before landfall.
Image: Noel Celis/AP/dpa/picture alliance
Marcos: 'Sheltering could save lives'
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called on people to follow the evacuation orders. "We know that it is difficult to leave your homes and possessions, but sheltering could save lives," he explained. Marcos has already visited some of the affected areas, distributing cash as emergency aid to those affected by past storms.
Image: VILLAMOR VISAYA/AFP/Getty Images
Damaged homes, devastated farmland
The latest typhoon has swamped a region already dealing with the aftermath of Typhoon Toraji, which hit earlier this week. Toraji caused flooding, destroyed power lines and forced more than 42,000 people to flee their homes.
Image: JOHN DIMAIN/AFP/Getty Images
'Devastating typhoon season'
Tropical storms Trami, Kong-rey and Yinxing blew through the Philippines in previous weeks. Another storm is already forming over the Pacific Ocean, and could reach the country's north over the weekend, according to meteorologists. The United Nations has called it "devastating typhoon season" for the Philippines.
Image: Philippine Red Cross/AP/dpa/picture alliance
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Rare weather occurrence
Around 255,000 people have fled their homes ahead of Man-yi as the state weather forecaster warned of "significant to severe impacts" from the winds and "life-threatening" storm surges.
The volcanology agency also warned heavy rain could trigger flows of volcanic sediment, or lahars, from three volcanos, including Taal, south of the capital, Manila.
Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr told authorities on Friday to stock up on food and other supplies in advance and urged residents to seek refuge as heavy rain was forecast in eastern provinces and Metro Manila over the weekend.
"We have to do a little extra here. We are already in bad shape because of the saturation, the damage done to infrastructure, homes and other infrastructure," Marcos told a situation briefing.
The five storms that have battered the Philippines in recent weeks have already killed at least 163 people and left thousands homeless while destroying crops and livestock.
Such a cluster of storms is a rare occurrence even in a region that usually sees around 20 typhoons a year, and scientists say it is a likely consequence of human-induced climate change, which is heating ocean waters to dangerous levels.
