Super Typhoon Megi hits Philippines
Tuesday, 19 October 2010
An intense "super typhoon" has made landfall in the northern Philippines, lashing the area with heavy rain and winds of up to 225km/h (140mph), reports BBC.
At least one person has been reported killed, and thousands have fled their homes. Emergency services are on alert, and many schools are closed.
In 2006, a storm with winds of 155km/h triggered mudslides, burying villages and killing about 1,000 people.
Tropical cyclones formed in the Pacific Ocean are called typhoons, but are classified on a scale of one to five in the same way as Atlantic Ocean hurricanes.
Strong typhoons with sustained winds of at least 130 knots (150mph; 240km/h), are referred to as super typhoons, according to the US Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center.
Forecasters said Megi was a super typhoon as it made landfall, but weakened slightly as it made its way across the northern Philippines.
The northern provinces of Cagayan and Isabela are on the highest storm alert, and were braced for heavy damage as Megi made landfall on Monday morning.
Thousands of people in Isabela were sheltering in communal buildings, away from coastal areas, and waiting out the storm, reports said.
Disaster management teams are on high alert - stockpiling food and medicines, and preparing boats and helicopters to rescue affected by the typhoon. The authorities are under huge pressure to get their rescue effort right this time.
There was a lot of criticism over their handling of Typhoon Ketsana last year.
Many people who were trapped in the floodwaters said they were completely reliant on aid agencies or church organisations rather than the government.
There was further embarrassment in July this year when the weather bureau forecast that a typhoon would miss Manila.
It struck the capital, killing about 100 people. The head of the state weather bureau was sacked as a result.
Reuters news agency reported that Megi hit north-eastern Isabela at about 1125 (0325 GMT), and said the Philippines had declared a "state of calamity" in the north as the storm neared.
At least one person has been reported killed, and thousands have fled their homes. Emergency services are on alert, and many schools are closed.
In 2006, a storm with winds of 155km/h triggered mudslides, burying villages and killing about 1,000 people.
Tropical cyclones formed in the Pacific Ocean are called typhoons, but are classified on a scale of one to five in the same way as Atlantic Ocean hurricanes.
Strong typhoons with sustained winds of at least 130 knots (150mph; 240km/h), are referred to as super typhoons, according to the US Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center.
Forecasters said Megi was a super typhoon as it made landfall, but weakened slightly as it made its way across the northern Philippines.
The northern provinces of Cagayan and Isabela are on the highest storm alert, and were braced for heavy damage as Megi made landfall on Monday morning.
Thousands of people in Isabela were sheltering in communal buildings, away from coastal areas, and waiting out the storm, reports said.
Disaster management teams are on high alert - stockpiling food and medicines, and preparing boats and helicopters to rescue affected by the typhoon. The authorities are under huge pressure to get their rescue effort right this time.
There was a lot of criticism over their handling of Typhoon Ketsana last year.
Many people who were trapped in the floodwaters said they were completely reliant on aid agencies or church organisations rather than the government.
There was further embarrassment in July this year when the weather bureau forecast that a typhoon would miss Manila.
It struck the capital, killing about 100 people. The head of the state weather bureau was sacked as a result.
Reuters news agency reported that Megi hit north-eastern Isabela at about 1125 (0325 GMT), and said the Philippines had declared a "state of calamity" in the north as the storm neared.