First modification:
In the Philippines, Super Typhoon Noru made landfall on Sunday, September 25. Images released by local media and news agencies show strong winds and heavy rains in the central province of Quezon. Previously, preventive evacuations were carried out in the coastal cities of the country.
According to the Philippine Department of Meteorology, the super typhoon made landfall at 5:30 p.m. local time in the Bordeaux municipality of the Polillo Islands, which are part of Quezon province located in Luzon, the main densely populated island part of the Philippine archipelago.
The weather service now fears flooding, landslides and high waves, while residents of several coastal towns have been evacuated.
According to data from the weather service, Super Typhoon Noru, a powerful weather phenomenon, was heading towards the Philippines with winds of 185 kilometers per hour. This highest category typhoon recorded in the archipelago this year.
“We ask residents of endangered areas to heed evacuation calls when necessary,” Philippine Police Chief General Rodolfo Azurin had warned earlier in the day.
preventive evacuations
The wind speed accompanying Noru had increased by 90 kilometers per hour in just 24 hours, an “unprecedented” intensification, according to meteorologist Robb Gile.
The country has a disaster management system that warns of approaching storms, allowing people at risk to reach evacuation centers before the cyclone reaches the coast.
In Quezon province especially, residents of several towns had already been evacuated before Noru made landfall, said Mel Avenilla, an official with the local disaster prevention office.
In neighboring Aurora province, residents of Dingalan township were also sent to shelters. The typhoon is expected to weaken as it passes through central Luzon before moving into the South China Sea on Monday, heading toward Vietnam.
More than 400 dead during Typhoon Rai
The Philippines experiences an average of 20 storms a year. Nine months ago, another super typhoon, Rai, claimed the lives of more than 400 people.
Rai was one of the country’s deadliest typhoons in recent years. This powerful storm tore off roofs, uprooted trees, toppled power poles, demolished wooden houses, and flooded towns. Entire regions were devastated.
Scientists have long warned that typhoons are getting stronger as global warming caused by human activities accelerates.
The Philippines is ranked as one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change and is affected by almost 20 tropical storms or typhoons each year. These often destroy crops, homes and infrastructure in already economically vulnerable areas.
AFP
#Philippines #Super #Typhoon #Noru #landfall