More than 150,000 evacuate in the Philippines as typhoon approaches

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — More than 150,000 people evacuated to safer ground in eastern Philippine provinces Monday as a typhoon approached from the Pacific, with authorities warning of torrential rains, potentially destructive winds and storm surges of up to 3 meters (nearly 10 feet).

Typhoon Kalmaegi was forecast to slam into shore Monday night or early Tuesday. It was last spotted about 95 kilometers (59 miles) southeast of Guiuan town in Eastern Samar province, with sustained winds of up to 140 kilometers (87 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 170 kph (106 mph).

It was expected to blow westward and batter central island provinces, including Cebu, which is still recovering from a 6.9-magnitude earthquake on Sept. 30 that left at least 79 dead and displaced thousands of people when houses collapsed or were severely damaged.

Displaced residents staying in flimsy tents would be moved to sturdier shelters, the Office of Civil Defense said.

On central Negros island, villagers were warned that heavy rains could cause volcanic mudflows on Kanlaon volcano, which has been emitting plumes of ash and steam in recent months, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

Kalmaegi, locally named Tino, was forecast to further strengthen over the Philippine Sea before possibly making landfall in Guiuan town or nearby municipalities.

Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful tropical cyclones on record, slammed ashore into Guiuan in November 2013 and raked across the central Philippines, leaving more than 7,300 people dead or missing, flattening entire villages and sweeping scores of ships inland. Haiyan demolished about a million houses and displaced more than 4 million people in one of the country’s poorest regions.

“Nobody’s complaining among the residents because of their experience with Yolanda. They know it’s better to be safe than sorry,” Eastern Samar Gov. RV Evardone told The Associated Press, referring to Haiyan’s Philippine name.

Nearly 156,000 people had been evacuated by nightfall in eastern and southern provinces, including in Dinagat Islands province south of Eastern Samar, Office of Civil Defense Administrator Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said. Disaster response agencies, including coast guard search and rescue units, have been put on alert.

Inter-island ferries and fishing boats were prohibited from venturing into increasingly rough seas, stranding more than 3,500 passengers and cargo truck drivers in nearly 100 seaports, the coast guard said. A number of domestic flights were cancelled.

The Philippines is battered by about 20 typhoons and storms each year. It is often hit by earthquakes and has more than a dozen active volcanoes, making it one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries.