Thousands evacuated as typhoon slams into Philippines

Typhoon Melor is slamming the east coast of the Philippines. Forty domestic flights and 625 passenger and cargo ferry trips have been canceled, while Albay governor Joey Salceda stated, “The whole province is now a ghost town”.

The government’s weather bureau said the typhoon was packing winds of 150 kilometers (95 miles) per hour with gusts of up to 185 kph (115 mph), and heavy to intense rain within its 300-kilometer (185-mile) diameter.

Overnight, the storm gained strength right before making landfall on the tiny Batag Island.

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Disaster authorities in the central Philippines are preparing for the arrival of Typhoon Melor as it approaches areas devastated by typhoon Haiyan two years ago. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

With wind speeds of up to 150km/hr, the typhoon as caused landslides and extreme flooding.

Storm surges, or giant crashing waves, were also a risk in some areas, said Pama, executive director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

The Philippines suffers around 20 typhoons and storms each year, many of them deadly.

Typhoon Melor will pass through the area near where Haiyan struck in November 2013, killing more than 6,300 people and leaving more than 1.4 million homeless. Now tropical storm Melor is on track to make landfall in the same region.

A second landfall is expected on the Sorsogon Province.

The climate bureau is learning the hyperlink between the growing power of yr-finish storms and local weather change, he stated.

Authorities likened Nona’s expected rainfall to that of Typhoon “Seniang”, which dumped 15 millimeters of rain per hour over Mindanao in December 2014 and left 66 people dead.