The Philippine weather agency warned of “heavy rainstorms” and life-threatening waves.Image: trapezoid
Typhoon Usagi is the fifth cyclone to hit the Philippines within a month. The storm hit the coast of Bagao in northern Luzon, the Philippines' largest island, on Thursday, with winds reaching 175 kilometers per hour.
The weather service warned of “heavy heavy rain” and life-threatening waves of up to three meters. There are also concerns that the storm could cause serious damage to buildings, especially in coastal areas. The head of the civil defense in Cagayan province, where the typhoon made landfall, told AFP that about 40,000 people needed to be evacuated.
Authorities tried to get residents to leave their homes amid heavy downpours. “We evacuated yesterday as a precaution. Evacuations are now mandatory,” an official said shortly before the storm made landfall.
President Ferdinand Marcos called on people to obey evacuation orders. “We know it's difficult to leave your home and belongings, but evacuations save lives,” he said. Marcos visited affected areas to distribute cash as emergency aid to people affected by the storms over the past few weeks.
People started evacuating three days ago.Image: trapezoid
More than 5,000 people from Cagayan are still in shelters as the water level of the Cagayan River has not fully receded.
Second storm in a week
Tropical Cyclone Tiger made landfall in the Philippines only on Monday. Tropical storms Trami, Kongrei and Silver Star have hit the Philippines over the past four weeks. A total of 159 people died, causing massive destruction.
According to a United Nations report, 207,000 homes were damaged or destroyed and nearly 700,000 people were evacuated. Thousands of hectares of farmland were destroyed. Ongoing storms have also delayed replanting, which could cause problems with food supplies.
It is predicted that “Rabbit” will usher in Tropical Storm “Manyi” over the weekend, and Tropical Storm “Manyi” will make landfall further south in the Philippines. United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator for the Philippines Gustavo Gonzalez said the storms overlapped. Affected communities will have no time to recover.
The Philippines is hit by about 20 major storms every year, always killing countless people. Furthermore, weather phenomena are pushing millions of people into poverty. Climate change causes these storms to form closer to the coast, intensify faster and stay on land longer. (Sudan Democratic Army/AFP)
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