Philippines evacuates coasts, cancels sea trips as supertyphoon nears
Gulf Times
Residents are seen inside an evacuation centre in Aurora Province, Philippines, September 25, 2022 in this picture obtained from social media. Ricardo Balala Jr./via Reuters
Philippine authorities started evacuating people from coastal areas on Sunday and hundreds were unable to travel by sea as the main island Luzon, including Manila, braces for a category 3 typhoon that continues to strengthen, officials said.
Typhoon Noru became a supertyphoon "after a period of explosive intensification", with sustained winds increasing to 185 km (115 miles) per hour from 120 kph on Saturday evening, the disaster agency said in an advisory.
It will continue intensifying and may make landfall on Sunday afternoon or evening with 185 to 205 kph (115 to 127 mph) of sustained winds, it said.
"I asked our mayors to comply with strict preemptive evacuations," Helen Tan, governor of Quezon province, told DZRH radio station. Fishermen in coastal communities were barred from heading to sea, she said.
