Typhoon Rai killed at least one person in the Philippines, damaged power lines, and destroyed dozens of houses before weakening.
Army Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) America Today, Super Typhoon Thunder has been downgraded from level 5 to level 3. It is expected to continue sweeping Palawan Province tomorrow and leave the Philippines. The Philippine radio station DZBB reported: “Hurricane Rai weakened after passing through the mountains of Vasayas.”
Bureau of Meteorology, Geography and Astronomy Philippine (PAGASA) Maintained Category 3 and Category 4 hurricane warnings in parts of the Visayan Islands, but many people in the area still feel strong winds.
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On December 16, the Philippine Coast Guard rescued people from flooding in Cagayan de Oro City. Photo: Reuters.
The Philippine disaster relief agency said that strong winds knocked down telephone poles and communication lines, damaged houses and forced hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate. At least one person died in the storm, but there is no further information.
As the flood made rescue work difficult, Bohol Governor Arthur Yap asked for help. “Many families are trapped on the roof. The entire rescue team at the scene is affected,” he said.
Super Typhoon Lai, also known as Odette in the Philippines, made landfall in the central and southern parts of the Philippines yesterday afternoon with a maximum wind speed of 195 km/h and a gust of 240 km/h. This is the strongest storm to hit the country this year.
The storm forced Philippine officials to cancel dozens of flights, operating only in many seaports, preventing more than 4,000 passengers, truck drivers and loaders from leaving. Due to the storm, the country had to stop the nationwide Covid-19 vaccine campaign.
The Philippines is considered one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to the effects of climate change. An average of 20 tropical storms sweep across the country every year, causing heavy human and economic losses. Last year, the Philippines was hit by the world’s strongest storm “Goni” in 2020, causing dozens of deaths, thousands of homeless, and losses of approximately 18 billion pesos (over US$370,000).
The estimated path of the storm and the affected area. Photo: NCHMF.
The Vietnam Hydrometeorological Forecasting Center stated that today the storm will move to the northwest at a speed of 20-25 km/h, the intensity will gradually weaken, and it will enter the East China Sea in the evening. At 7 o’clock in the morning on December 18, the center of the storm was about 200 kilometers east of Songtutai Island. The strongest wind speed was 165 kilometers per hour, 13-14, and 17 levels.
Tomorrow, the storm will maintain a west-northwest direction at a speed of 20 kilometers per hour. At 7 o’clock in the morning on December 19, the center of the storm was located about 280 kilometers east of the Binh Dinh-Khanh Hoa coast. The strongest wind speed was 150 kilometers per hour, level 13 and level 3 enhancement.
Takehide (follow Reuters)
