With sustained winds and gusts of up to 265 km / h, Typhoon Goni is the strongest typhoon in the Philippines since Haiyan in 2013.
On Saturday, Filipino officials ordered the evacuation of thousands of residents in the southern part of the main island of Luzon as a Category 5 storm, the strongest in the world this year, approaches the Southeast Asian nation.
Typhoon Goni, with sustained winds of 215 km / h and gusts of up to 265 km / h, will land on Sunday as the strongest typhoon in the Philippines since Haiyan, killing more than 6,300 people in November 2013.
Preventive evacuations have begun in coastal and landslide-prone communities in Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur provinces while the Albay provincial government is ordering residents in risk areas to leave their homes, Gremil Naz, a local disaster officer, told Gremil Naz radio.
“The strength of this typhoon is no joke.”
Typhoon Molave killed 22 people last week, mostly from drowning in provinces south of the capital, Manila, which is also on the planned route from Goni, the country’s 18th tropical storm.
Authorities face another hurdle as evacuation centers require social distancing to prevent the coronavirus from spreading.
In Southeast Asia, the Philippines has the second highest number of COVID-19 infections alongside Indonesia with around 380,000 cases and over 7,000 deaths.
Dwindling disaster funds
Relief supplies, heavy machinery and personal protective equipment are already positioned in key areas, Filipina Grace America, Mayor of Infanta City in Quezon Province, told DZBB radio.
“However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our funds for disaster problems and spending are inadequate.”
Local officials canceled port operations and prevented fishermen from setting sails.
Typhoon Goni, moving westward from the Pacific Ocean at a speed of 20 km / h, will bring heavy rains over the capital and 14 nearby provinces on Saturday evening, as well as the risk of flooding and landslides, according to the country’s weather agency .
Another typhoon, Atsani, is gaining strength outside the Philippines. Every year around 20 typhoons hit the Philippines.
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