Mass evacuations in Philippines as Typhoon Man-yi arrives

Manila (The Uttam Hindu): Hundreds of thousands of people in coastal villages and flood-prone areas have been evacuated to safety in the Philippines as the archipelago country braces itself for super typhoon Man-yi impact. Man-yi, swirling with maximum winds of 195 km per hour and gusts of up to 240 km per hour, has made landfall in Catanduanes in the Bicol region of Luzon in the Philippines on Saturday night.

In an 8 p.m. local time bulletin, the state weather bureau said Man-yi "continues to threaten potentially catastrophic and life-threatening situation for northeastern Bicol region." It will blow away to the South China Sea on Sunday night or Monday morning. "There is a high risk of life-threatening storm surge with peak heights exceeding three meters in the 48 hours over low-lying or exposed coastal localities" in Metro Manila, central Luzon and other areas, the bureau warned.

Man-yi is approaching areas that have been hit hard by the five overlapping typhoons since late October. More than 160 people were killed by flooding and landslides triggered by the harsh weather, with nearly 30 still missing, government figures showed. The intense downpour has displaced millions of people and destroyed crops and infrastructure. Many provinces declared a state of calamity due to the widespread devastation.

Man-yi, locally named Pepito, is the 16th tropical cyclone to hit the Philippines since January. An average of 20 typhoons hit the Philippines anually, bringing torrential rain, strong winds and deadly landslides.