The Philippines evacuated more than 900,000 people from at-risk areas as powerful Typhoon Vong Wong battered the main island of Luzon, with work and school suspended in many areas, including Metro Manila.
Storm warnings were issued in large parts of the Philippines, with the warning level raised to “Five”, the highest, over southeastern Luzon, including Catanduanes and the coastal areas of Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur, while the authorities issued a “Level Three” warning for the capital, Manila, and its surroundings.
Typhoon “Fong Wong”, known locally as “Awan”, is expected to make landfall in Aurora province in central Luzon, this evening (Sunday), at the earliest, carrying winds of up to 185 kilometers per hour, and may reach 230 kilometers per hour.
Some photos published by the Philippine Coast Guard in Camarines Sur showed evacuees carrying bags and personal belongings as they were transferred from boats to waiting trucks during preventive evacuations.
The Civil Aviation Regulatory Authority stated that more than 300 local and international flights were cancelled.
Hurricane Phuong Wong is approaching the Philippines just days after the country was hit by Hurricane Kalmai, which swept through it, killing 204 people, and leaving great devastation before hitting Vietnam, where it claimed the lives of 5 more people and destroyed coastal areas.
Defense Minister Gilberto Teodoro urged residents in the path of the storm to comply with evacuation orders, warning that refusal was dangerous and illegal. The army redirected about 2,000 soldiers from field training to focus on humanitarian aid and disaster response.
