Philippines - Super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) now a Category 5 and Signal No. 4 raised.
MANILA, Philippines
Everyone must be alert because this super typhoon Yolanda is most destructive and deadly. Over 12 million lives are at risks and affected.
The storm was last tracked 543 kilometers southeast of Guiuan, Eastern Samar, packing winds of 215 kilometer per hour with gusts of up to 250 kph as it moved west northwest at 33 kph, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said late Thursday afternoon.
It is forecast to hit Guiuan or Abuyog, Leyte then cut through Biliran, northern Cebu, Iloilo, Capiz, Aklan, Romblon, Semirara Island, southern Mindoro and Busuanga before heading towards the West Philippine Sea Friday night, but is expected to exit from the Philippine area of responsibility is early Sunday morning.
Authorities warned more than 12 million people are at risk from Yolanda, which had earlier been classified as a "supertyphoon" and category 5 hurricane in the United States’ National Hurricane Center’s Saffir-Simpson wind scale
The US Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center said Yolanda had maximum sustained winds on Thursday afternoon of 278 kilometres an hour with gusts of 333 kilometres an hour.
This means that: “Catastrophic damage will occur: A high percentage of framed homes will be destroyed, with total roof failure and wall collapse. Fallen trees and power poles will isolate residential areas. Power outages will last for weeks to possibly months. Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks or months.”
"This is a very dangerous typhoon, local officials know where the vulnerable areas are and have given instructions on evacuations," state weather forecaster Glaiza Escullar told AFP. "There are not too many mountains on its path to deflect the force of impact, making it more dangerous."
Signal No. 4, which means winds of more than 185 kph can be expected over the next 12 hours or more, has been raised over Eastern Samar, Samar, Leyte, Southern Leyte and Biliran.
Signal No. 3 (101-185 kph winds over 18 hours) is up over Northern Samar, Masbate, northern Cebu, Bantayan Island, Siargao Island and Dinagat province, while Signal No. 2 (61-100 kph winds over 24 hours) is hoisted over Romblon, Sorsogon, Albay, Burias Island, Bohol, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Aklan, Capiz, Antique, Iloilo, Guimaras, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur and Agusan del Norte.
Signal No. 1 (winds of 30-60 kph over 36 hours) is raised over Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, the Mindoro provinces, Marinduque, northern Palawan, the Calamian group of islands, southern Quezon, Siquijor, Misamis Oriental and Agusan del Sur.
PAGASA said heavy to intense rainfall of 10.0-30.0 mm per hour should be expected within Yolanda’s 600-km diameter.
The Department of Science and Technology's Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards, or Project NOAH, also warned of dangerous storm surges of as high as six meters in coastal areas along Yolanda's path, particularly Ormoc, Leyte.
As Yolanda neared land, thousands of people were preemptively evacuated, while hundreds more have been stranded in various ports across the Visayas.
Sea travel is risky over the northern and eastern seaboards of northern Luzon and over the eastern seaboard of Central Luzon.
Residents in low-lying and mountainous areas under any storm signal are alerted against possible flashfloods and landslides while those living in coastal areas are alerted against storm surges that may reach up to seven meters in wave height.
The weather bureau said a northeast monsoon is also currently affecting Northern Luzon.
Pre-emptive evacuation
In Bohol, the province most devastated by the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck Central Visayas on October 15, "the provincial governor has ordered local disaster officials to ensure that pre-emptive evacuations are done, both for those living in tents as well as those in flood-prone areas," provincial administrator Alfonso Damalerio told AFP.
Some, 5,000 people affected by the earthquake there continue to live in tents.
As of Thursday morning, a total of 595 families or 2,684 people have sought shelter in various evacuation centers in Eastern Visayas, according to data from the Police Regional Office 8 (PRO 8) Disaster Incident Management Center.
They are broken down as: Tacloban City with 575 families or 2,618 people spread over to Tacloban City Convention Center, Eastern Visayas State University, and San Jose Elementary School; Eastern Samar with 18 families or 60 people distributed over Arteche Elementary School and Arteche National High School; and Northern Samar with two families or six people at the San Antonio Elementary School.
Acting regional director Rey M. Gozon of the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) in Eastern Visayas said his office is currently monitoring and conducting an inventory of all evacuation centers in the region.
Earlier, Gozon ordered local government units (LGUs) to undertake pre-emptive evacuation as a precautionary measure.
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