MANILA, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines on Wednesday began evacuating people in coastal villages in central and southern Philippines as a strong typhoon Rai approached.
Local media showed officials go house to house to ask villagers from coastal areas in Southern Leyte province in the central Philippines to move to safer grounds due to the threat of flash floods.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said more than 2,000 passengers, drivers, and helpers, more than 1,000 rolling cargoes, 60 vessels and 18 motorboats are stranded in the central Philippine, Bicol region, and northeastern Mindanao.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) warned that Typhoon Rai could bring strong winds and heavy rains. The state weather bureau said that at 4:00 p.m. local time, the typhoon was spotted 485 km east of Surigao del Sur province.
The bureau said the storm was blowing northwestward 25 km per hour, packing 130 km per hour winds and gusts of up to 160 km per hour. Already, the bureau raised warning signals in several areas on the typhoon's path.
The bureau said Typhoon Rai, the 15th tropical cyclone to lash the country this year, is forecast to make landfall in the vicinity of Caraga or Eastern Visayas Thursday afternoon or evening.
Further intensification is expected before making landfall, the bureau added.
Located in the "Pacific Ring of Fire", the Philippines is among the most disaster-prone countries globally, including active volcanoes, frequent earthquakes, and an average of 20 typhoons a year causing floods and landslides.
In recent years, the Philippines has been hit by several major disasters, including Super Typhoon Haiyan in 2013 and the Taal volcano eruption in January 2020. Enditem
