Philippines evacuated 45,000 people ahead of Typhoon Ray’s arrival

Powerful Typhoon Ray made landfall in the Philippines on Thursday, where thousands of people were sheltering, the state meteorological agency said. Before the strongest storm to hit the Asian country this year.

The cyclone “made landfall on Siargao Island at 1:30 p.m. (05:30 GMT),” Bani Estariga of the Meteorological Agency said.

Philippine authorities have evacuated more than 45,000 people in the face of Typhoon RaI, reported in its latest update on the Disaster Management Council (NDRRMC).

Rai, known as Odette in the Philippines, It will cross from east to west the south-central region of the Philippines, including part of the island of Leyte, Mindanao and Negros, with sustained winds of 185 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 230, Today reported by the PAGASA meteorological department.

“The cyclone intensifies further as it continues to approach the neighboring provinces of the Dinagat-Surigao Islands”, put a line under NDRRMC.

Authorities raised the alert status to level 4 (from maximum 5) on several islands off the country’s east coast where the typhoon, the most powerful typhoon to hit the Philippines this year, will make landfall for the first time.

Dozens of flights were suspended, while sea transport and land travel were banned in the affected areas.

The arrival of Ray, the 15th typhoon to pass through the Philippines this year, forced the postponement of a large part of the massive vaccination campaign planned against COVID-19 across regions where the meteorological phenomenon is expected.

An average of 20 typhoons hit the Philippines each year and the most devastating of these was Super Haiyan – the largest known to make landfall – which hit the islands of Samar and Leyte in November 2013, killing about 7,000 people and leaving 200,000 families.

The Philippines is one of the countries most vulnerable to the climate crisis due to natural disasters, in addition, it is located on the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire”, an area where about 90% of the planet’s seismic and volcanic activity accumulates.

(With information from EFE)

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