The inhabitants of northern Philippines were forced to evacuate on Wednesday due to the approach of a powerful typhoon to the nation. Typhoon Kong-rey, with sustained winds of up to 185 km/h and gusts of up to 230 km/h, was located 350 km east of the province of Cagayan del Norte. Meteorologists warned that it could strengthen even more over the sea, and its trajectory was pointing to pass near the province of Batanes, at the northern tip of the Philippines, and then head southeast towards Taiwan.
The governor of Batanes, Marilou Cayco, mentioned that they are in the process of forced evacuation of people, especially those whose homes were severely damaged by the previous storm. In other areas of northern Philippines, more than 300,000 people displaced the previous week by Tropical Storm Trami were still in emergency shelters as the new typhoon approached, according to authorities from the Office of Civil Defense.
A "potentially deadly storm surge" that Kong-rey could cause on the low-lying coasts of Batanes and the Babuyan Islands was warned about. All vessels were advised to remain in port and seek shelter while the winds and waves calm down. Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. called for mandatory evacuation of high-risk areas and reminded the importance of following safety protocols to avoid casualties.
Despite expectations that Kong-rey will move away from northern Philippines, its wide rain band was estimated to affect the entire main northern region of Luzon. Tropical Storm Trami, which caused havoc the previous week, left numerous casualties and material damage in the country. In 2013, Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines, claiming thousands of lives and causing devastation in several regions.
Natural disasters pose a serious threat to the Philippines, a country prone to experiencing typhoons and storms.
